(137924) 2000 BD19

(137924) 2000 BD19, provisional designation 2000 BD19, is a 970-meter asteroid and near-Earth object with the smallest perihelion of any numbered asteroid (0.092 AU—38% of Mercury's orbital radius). With its high eccentricity, not only does 2000 BD19 get very close to the Sun, but it also travels relatively far away from it. It has the third largest aphelion of any numbered Aten asteroid[4] and is one of a small group of Aten asteroids that is also a Mars grazer.[5] Its orbital elements indicate that may be an extinct comet. It hasn't been seen displaying cometary activity so far.

(137924) 2000 BD19
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered byLINEAR
Discovery date26 January 2000
Designations
Orbital characteristics[1][3]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc6960 days (19.06 yr)
Aphelion1.66093678 AU (248.472606 Gm)
Perihelion0.092057468 AU (13.7716012 Gm)
0.876497123 AU (131.1221033 Gm)
Eccentricity0.8949712
0.82 yr (299.7 d)
328.94867°
1.2010977°/day
Inclination25.716450°
333.73148°
324.31756°
Earth MOID0.0904402 AU (13.52966 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions0.97 km[2]
10.570 h (0.4404 d)[1]
0.247[2]
V[2]
17.2[1]

    2000 BD19 was discovered by LINEAR in January 2000 and was soon after located by DANEOPS on Palomar plates from 10 February 1997. This allowed a reasonably precise orbit determination, and as a result it was spotted again on 27 February 2001 and 21 January 2002. When it was discovered, it beat 1995 CR's record for both asteroid with the smallest perihelion and for Aten asteroid with the highest eccentricity.

    It is estimated that 2000 BD19's surface temperature reaches ~920 K at perihelion, enough to melt lead and zinc, and nearly enough to melt aluminium. 2000 BD19 is considered a good candidate for measuring the effects of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity because of how close it comes to the Sun.[6]

    2000 BD19 shares noticeable orbit similarities with two other low-perihelion asteroids: (425755) 2011 CP4 and 1995 CR, their longitude of perihelion differing by only 9.9 and 7.1 degrees, respectively. Combined with their similar semimajor axis (average distance from the Sun) of 0.877, 0.911, and 0.907 astronomical units respectively, they could possibly be fragments of 2000 BD19 that separated from it in the past.

    References
    1. "137924 (2000 BD19)". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
    2. NeoDys-2 on (127924) 2000 BD19 Retrieved 2011-09-12
    3. AstDys-2 on (127924) 2000 BD19 Retrieved 2011-09-12
    4. List of Aten asteroids sorted by Q in decreasing order, generated by the JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine Retrieved 2011-09-12
    5. List of Aten asteroids with Q>1.38 AU and sorted by Q in decreasing order, generated by the JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine Retrieved 2011-09-12
    6. Margot, Jean-Luc Measuring asteroidal perihelion advance to measure solar oblateness and test general relativity, retrieved 22 December 2007.
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