| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 2 August 1986 |
| Designations | |
| (4034) Vishnu | |
Named after | Vishnu(Hindu deity)[2] |
| 1986 PA | |
| Apollo · NEO · PHA[1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 6 January 2010 (JD 2455202.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 28.93 yr (10,565 days) |
| Aphelion | 1.5299AU |
| Perihelion | 0.5891 AU |
| 1.0595 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.4439 |
| 1.09yr (398 days) | |
| 62.851° | |
| 0° 54m 13.32s / day | |
| Inclination | 11.170° |
| 158.01° | |
| 296.60° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0194 AU · 7.6LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 0.42 km[3] | |
| 0.52[3] | |
| SMASS =O[1] | |
| 18.4[1] | |
4034 Vishnu (prov. designation:1986 PA) is a rare-typeasteroid classified asnear-Earth object andpotentially hazardous asteroid of theApollo group, approximately 420 meters (1,400 feet) in diameter. It was discovered on 2 August 1986, by American astronomerEleanor Helin atPalomar Observatory in California, United States. It is named after the Hindu deityVishnu.[2]
Thisminor planet was named for the four-armed god of protection and preservation of good,Vishnu, one of the principal deities of Hinduism. The asteroid's name was proposed by Belgian amateur astronomer and professional meteorologistJean Meeus.[2][4] The approved naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 15 July 2011 (M.P.C. 75547).[5]
Vishnu orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.6–1.5 AU once every 1 years and 1 month (398 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.44 and aninclination of 11° with respect to theecliptic.[1] As noprecoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made, the body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Palomar in 1986.[2]
Vishnu is apotentially hazardous asteroid due to its sufficiently large size and lowEarthminimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0194 AU (2,900,000 km), which corresponds to 7.6lunar distances.[1]
Its highly eccentric orbit crosses the orbits of all inner planets except that of Mercury, which effectively makes it aVenus-crosser,Earth-crosser andMars-crosser all at once. From 1800 to 2200,Vishnu has made and will make multiple approaches of Venus (71×), Earth (29×), and Mars (7×) within 30 gigameters. It has been observed byradar astronomy (Binzel) and the orbital solution includes non-gravitational forces.[1]
In theSMASS taxonomy,Vishnu is a rareO-type asteroid, meaning it is similar to the asteroid3628 Boznemcová, which is the best asteroid match to the spectra of L6 and LL6ordinary chondrite meteorites. TheseL andLL chondrites have lower iron metal content, but higheriron oxide content in thesilicates.[1]
In the early 2000s,Vishnu has been observed in the thermal-infrared by theKeck telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The asteroid measures approximately 420 meters in diameter and its surface has a highalbedo of 0.520.[3] As of 2017,Vishnu'srotation period and shape remain unknown as nolightcurves have yet been obtained.[6]
