3200 Phaethon
3200 Phaethon (/ˈfeɪ.əˌθɒn/; previously sometimes spelled Phaeton), provisionally designated 1983 TB, is an active Apollo asteroid with an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun than any other named asteroid (though there are numerous unnamed asteroids with smaller perihelia, such as (137924) 2000 BD19). For this reason, it was named after the Greek myth of Phaëthon, son of the sun god Helios. It is 5.8 km (3.6 mi) in diameter and is the parent body of the Geminids meteor shower of mid-December. With an observation arc of 35+ years, it has a very well determined orbit. The 2017 Earth approach distance of about 10 million km was known with an accuracy of ±700 m.
Radar image of 3200 Phaethon taken by Arecibo, December 17, 2017 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
|
| Discovery date | October 11, 1983 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (3200) Phaethon |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfeɪ.əθɒn/ |
Named after | Phaëthon |
Alternative designations | 1983 TB |
Minor planet category |
|
| Adjectives | Phaethonian /feɪəˈθoʊniən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch April 27, 2019 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 12,941 days (35.43 yr) |
| Aphelion | 2.4028 AU (359 million km) |
| Perihelion | 0.13998 AU (20.9 million km) |
Semi-major axis | 1.2714 AU (190 million km) |
| Eccentricity | 0.88990 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 523.6 days (1.434 yr) |
Average orbital speed | 19.9 km/s (45,000 mph) |
Mean anomaly | 313.94° |
Mean motion | 0° 41m 15.108s / day |
| Inclination | 22.260° |
Longitude of ascending node | 265.22° |
| May 15, 2022 | |
| 322.19° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.01955 AU (2.92 million km) |
| Venus MOID | 0.0469 AU (7.02 million km) |
| Jupiter MOID | 2.7375 AU (410 million km) |
| TJupiter | 4.510 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.13±0.05 × 4.40±0.06 km |
Mean diameter | 5.8 km (3.6 mi) |
Synodic rotation period | 3.604 hours (0.1502 d) |
| 0.1066±0.011 | |
| F-type asteroid | |
| 10.7 (December 14, 2017) | |
| 14.6 | |
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