| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | MLS |
| Discovery site | Mount Lemmon Obs. |
| Discovery date | 23 May 2012 |
| Designations | |
| 2012 KP24 | |
| Apollo · NEO[2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 2022-Aug-09 (JD 2459800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 6 | |
| Observation arc | 5 days |
| Aphelion | 2.0514 AU (Q) |
| Perihelion | 0.94483 AU (q) |
| 1.4981 AU (a) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.36932 (e) |
| 1.83 years | |
| 182.83° (M) | |
| 0° 32m 14.388s /day | |
| Inclination | 18.467° (i) |
| 67.445° (Ω) | |
| ~2023-Jul-04 | |
| 221.51° (ω) | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0002 AU (30,000 km; 0.078 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 17 m[3] | |
| Mass | 7.2×106 kg(est.)[3] |
| 0.041667 h[2] | |
| 13.3(2012 passage)[4] 21.6?(2023 passage)[5] | |
| 26.4[2] | |
2012 KP24 (also written2012 KP24) is aChelyabinsk-sizednear-Earthasteroid with anobservation arc of only 5 days and has a modestly determinedorbit for an object of its size.[2] Around 31 May 2023 ±3 days it will pass between 0.19–24lunar distances (73,000–9,200,000 km) from Earth.[2] Nominally theasteroid is expected to pass 0.026 AU (3,900,000 km; 10 LD) from Earth and brighten to aroundapparent magnitude 21.6.[5]
It is afast rotator that rotates in 0.04 hours (2.4 min).[2] The asteroid is estimated to be 17 meters (56 ft) in diameter.[3] It will next come toperihelion (closest approach to the Sun) around 4 July 2023.[2] It has an orbitaluncertainty parameter of 6.[2]
It was discovered on 23 May 2012 by theMount Lemmon Survey at anapparent magnitude of 20.8 using a 1.5-meter (59 in)reflecting telescope.[1] On 28 May 2012 at 15:20UT, the asteroid passed 0.00038 AU (57,000 km; 35,000 mi) from the center-point of Earth.[2] It then reached perihelion on 2 July 2012. It was removed from theSentry Risk Table on 8 August 2013 after Sentry updated to planetaryephemeris (DE431).[6]
Newer versions of Sentry returned the object to the risk table. Virtual clones of the asteroid that fit the uncertainty region in the known trajectory show a 1 in 2.1 million chance that the asteroid couldimpact Earth on 2032 May 28.[3] With aPalermo Technical Scale of −6.30,[3] the odds of impact by2012 KP24 in 2032 are about 2 million times less[7] than the background hazard level of Earth impacts which is defined as the average risk posed by objects of the same size or larger over the years until the date of the potential impact.[8]
2012 in space | ||
|---|---|---|
Space probe launches |
|    |
| Impact events | ||
| SelectedNEOs | ||
| Exoplanets |
| |
| Discoveries | ||
| Comets | ||
| Space exploration | ||
