(433953) 1997 XR2
(433953) 1997 XR2 (also written 1997 XR2) is an asteroid discovered on December 4, 1997.[1] It has a diameter of 0.1-0.3 km and an estimated mass on the order of 1010 kilograms.
From early 2002 to February 24, 2006, 1997 XR2 was considered to have about a 1 in 10,000 chance of colliding with Earth on June 1, 2101, based on a 27-day observation arc in December 1997.[2]
It was ranked at one on the Torino Scale of impact risk, and was the only near-Earth object to be ranked higher than zero (the scale is 0–10) until it was joined by 2004 VD17 at level one in November 2004, and then when 99942 Apophis (then known only by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) was temporarily assessed at level four in December 2004. 2004 VD17 and 99942 Apophis are now rated at level zero.
On February 24, 2006, 1997 XR2 was observed by the Mt. Lemmon Survey after being lost for more than 8 years.[3] The refinement of its orbit eliminated the possibility of impact in 2101. It is now known that on November 20, 2101, the asteroid will be 0.0392 AU (5,860,000 km; 3,640,000 mi) from Earth.[4]
References
- ↑ "1997 XR2". NASA JPL. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ↑ "1997 XR2 Earth Impact Risk Summary". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 7 February 2006. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
- ↑ "1997 XR2 Orbit" (last observation: 2007-01-15; arc=3329 days). Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2013-09-07. (2977 days or 8 yr 1 m 24 d)
- ↑ "JPL Close-Approach Data: (1997 XR2)" (last observation: 2007-01-15; arc: 9.1 years). Retrieved 2013-09-03.
External links
- Asteroid/Comet Connection. "Consolidated Risk Tables" http://www.hohmanntransfer.com/crt.htm#news (accessed 25 Feb. 2006).
- (433953) 1997 XR2 at the JPL Small-Body Database