5370 Taranis, provisional designation 1986 RA, is an asteroid and suspected dormant comet on an eccentric orbit, classified as near-Earth object of the Amor group, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter.

5370 Taranis
Discovery [1]
Discovered byA. Maury
Discovery sitePalomar Obs.
Discovery date2 September 1986
Designations
(5370) Taranis
Named after
Taranis[2]
(Celtic mythology)
1986 RA
NEO · Amor[1][2]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc29.93 yr (10,932 d)
Aphelion5.4438 AU
Perihelion1.2118 AU
3.3278 AU
Eccentricity0.6359
6.07 yr (2,217 days)
27.914°
0° 9m 44.64s / day
Inclination19.131°
177.85°
161.27°
Earth MOID0.2196 AU · 85.6 LD
Jupiter MOID0.3673 AU
Physical characteristics
Dimensions2.30 km (derived)[3]
3.6 km (Gehrels)[1]
5.308±0.082 km[4][5]
6.3±0.05 km[5][6]
0.037±0.009[5][6]
0.051±0.009[4][5]
0.20 (assumed)[3]
S (assumed)[3]
15.2[1][4] · 15.56[3][7]

Description

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Taranis was discovered on 2 September 1986, by French astronomer Alain Maury at the Palomar Observatory in California, United States.[2] It is one of very few asteroids located in the 2:1 mean-motion resonance with Jupiter.[8] When at aphelion of 5.4 AU,[1] the object is roughly the same distance from the Sun as Jupiter is when Jupiter is at aphelion. The unstable resonance with Jupiter is expected to last roughly 7.3 million years.[8]

Taranis also is expected of being a dormant comet.[5] On 10 September 2099 it will pass 0.1325 AU (19,820,000 km; 12,320,000 mi) from Earth.[1]

This minor planet was named after the Gaulish god of thunder Taranis from Celtic mythology. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 September 1993 (M.P.C. 22509).[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5370 Taranis (1986 RA)" (2016-07-16 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "5370 Taranis (1986 RA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "LCDB Data for (5370) Taranis". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. S2CID 35447010.
  5. ^ a b c d e Mommert, M.; Harris, A. W.; Mueller, M.; Hora, J. L.; Trilling, D. E.; Bottke, W. F.; et al. (October 2015). "ExploreNEOs. VIII. Dormant Short-period Comets in the Near-Earth Asteroid Population". The Astronomical Journal. 150 (4): 9. arXiv:1508.04116. Bibcode:2015AJ....150..106M. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/4/106. S2CID 34373031.
  6. ^ a b Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J.; Masiero, J.; McMillan, R. S.; Cutri, R. M.; et al. (December 2011). "NEOWISE Observations of Near-Earth Objects: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 743 (2): 17. arXiv:1109.6400. Bibcode:2011ApJ...743..156M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/743/2/156. S2CID 239991.
  7. ^ Wisniewski, W. Z. (June 1987). "Photometry of six radar target asteroids". Icarus. 70 (3): 566–572. Bibcode:1987Icar...70..566W. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(87)90096-0. ISSN 0019-1035.
  8. ^ a b Roig, F.; Nesvorný, D.; Ferraz-Mello, S. (September 2002). "Asteroids in the 2 : 1 resonance with Jupiter: dynamics and size distribution [ Erratum: 2002MNRAS.336.1391R ]". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 335 (2): 417–431. Bibcode:2002MNRAS.335..417R. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05635.x.
  9. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
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