367943 Duende
367943 Duende (provisional designation 2012 DA14) is a micro-asteroid and a near-Earth object of the Aten and Atira group, approximately 30 meters (98 ft) in diameter. It was discovered by astronomers of the Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca at its robotic La Sagra Observatory in 2012, and named for the duende, a goblin-like creature from Iberian and Filipino mythology and folklore. Duende is likely an uncommon L-type asteroid and significantly elongated. For an asteroid of its size, it has a relatively long rotation period of 9.485 hours.
Goldstone radar collage of Duende on 15–16 February 2013 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | OAM |
| Discovery site | La Sagra Obs. |
| Discovery date | 23 February 2012 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (367943) Duende |
Named after | Duende (Iberian/Filipino mythology) |
Alternative designations | 2012 DA14 |
Minor planet category | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 364 days |
| Aphelion | 0.9916 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.8289 AU |
Semi-major axis | 0.9103 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.0894 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 0.87 yr (317 days) |
Mean anomaly | 113.74° |
Mean motion | 1° 8m 5.64s / day |
| Inclination | 11.609° |
Longitude of ascending node | 146.96° |
| 195.60° | |
| Earth MOID | 9.52648×10−5 AU (0.037 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 20 m × 40 m (elongated) |
Mean diameter |
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Synodic rotation period |
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| 7.2 (2013 peak) | |
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On 15 February 2013, Duende passed at a record distance of 27,700 km (17,200 mi) or 4.3 Earth radii from Earth's surface. Due to its close passage, its orbit was perturbed significantly enough that it changed from an Apollo asteroid to an Aten asteroid. Duende's passage also coincided with the completely unrelated Chelyabinsk meteor, which entered Earth's atmosphere above Russia just 16 hours earlier.