4581 Asclepius
Encyclopedia
4581 Asclepius is a small asteroid
of the Apollo group
that makes close orbital passes with Earth. Discovered in 1989 by American astronomers Henry E. Holt
(1929-) and Norman G. Thomas
(1930-), Asclepius is named after the Greek demigod of medicine and healing
.
Asclepius passed by Earth on March 22, 1989, at a distance of 0.00457 AU. Although this exceeds the Moon's orbital radius, the close pass received attention at that time, especially since the asteroid passed through the exact position of Earth only six hours earlier. "On the cosmic scale of things, that was a close call," said Dr. Henry Holt. Geophysicists estimate that collision
with Asclepius would release energy comparable to the explosion of a 600 megaton atomic bomb. The asteroid was discovered March 31st, 1989, nine days after its closest approach to the Earth.
Subsequent discoveries revealed that a whole class of such objects exists, and that an object the size of the one that just missed Earth in March 1989, probably comes by undetected once every two or three years.
The next close approach to Earth is 2012-Aug-16 at a distance of 0.10787 AU. During the August 2012 passage the asteroid will reach an apparent magnitude
of 18.2.
On 2051-Mar-24 the asteroid will pass 0.012 AU from the Earth. It will be the eighth pass of less than 30 Gm in this century. Due to many close approaches to Earth and Venus that increase the uncertainty region, neither JPL or NEODyS
list close approaches after 2127. JPL shows that the uncertainty region of the asteroid will cause it to mostly likely pass from 0.06 AU to 0.24 AU from the Earth in 2127.
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
of the Apollo group
Apollo asteroid
The Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids named after 1862 Apollo, the first asteroid of this group to be discovered by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth...
that makes close orbital passes with Earth. Discovered in 1989 by American astronomers Henry E. Holt
Henry E. Holt
Henry E. Holt is an American astronomer.He has discovered numerous asteroids. He is also a co-discoverer of periodic comets 121P/Shoemaker-Holt, 127P/Holt-Olmstead and 128P/Shoemaker-Holt....
(1929-) and Norman G. Thomas
Norman G. Thomas
Norman G. Thomas is an American astronomer.He worked at Lowell Observatory using the blink comparator alongside Robert Burnham, Jr., author of the famous three-volume Celestial Handbook....
(1930-), Asclepius is named after the Greek demigod of medicine and healing
Asclepius
Asclepius is the God of Medicine and Healing in ancient Greek religion. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia , Iaso , Aceso , Aglæa/Ægle , and Panacea...
.
Asclepius passed by Earth on March 22, 1989, at a distance of 0.00457 AU. Although this exceeds the Moon's orbital radius, the close pass received attention at that time, especially since the asteroid passed through the exact position of Earth only six hours earlier. "On the cosmic scale of things, that was a close call," said Dr. Henry Holt. Geophysicists estimate that collision
Impact event
An impact event is the collision of a large meteorite, asteroid, comet, or other celestial object with the Earth or another planet. Throughout recorded history, hundreds of minor impact events have been reported, with some occurrences causing deaths, injuries, property damage or other significant...
with Asclepius would release energy comparable to the explosion of a 600 megaton atomic bomb. The asteroid was discovered March 31st, 1989, nine days after its closest approach to the Earth.
Subsequent discoveries revealed that a whole class of such objects exists, and that an object the size of the one that just missed Earth in March 1989, probably comes by undetected once every two or three years.
The next close approach to Earth is 2012-Aug-16 at a distance of 0.10787 AU. During the August 2012 passage the asteroid will reach an apparent magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
of 18.2.
On 2051-Mar-24 the asteroid will pass 0.012 AU from the Earth. It will be the eighth pass of less than 30 Gm in this century. Due to many close approaches to Earth and Venus that increase the uncertainty region, neither JPL or NEODyS
NEODyS
NEODyS is an Italian and Spanish service that provides information on Near Earth Objects with a convenient Web-based interface. It is based on a continually and automatically maintained database of near earth asteroid orbits. This site provides a number of services to the NEO community...
list close approaches after 2127. JPL shows that the uncertainty region of the asteroid will cause it to mostly likely pass from 0.06 AU to 0.24 AU from the Earth in 2127.
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris