2002 AT₄

2002 AT₄ is a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Amor group, approximately 350 meters (1,100 feet) in diameter. It has an eccentric orbit that brings it sometimes close to Earth's orbit, and sometimes halfway between Mars and Jupiter. It is a dark D-type asteroid[3] which means that it may be reddish in color.

2002 AT₄

Discovery [1]
Discovered by	LINEAR
Discovery site	Lincoln Lab's ETS
Discovery date	8 January 2002 (first observed only)
Designations
MPC designation	2002 AT4
Minor planet category	NEO · Amor · PHA  [1][2]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	4.94 yr (1,805 d)
Aphelion	2.7000 AU
Perihelion	1.0339 AU
Semi-major axis	1.8670 AU
Eccentricity	0.4462
Orbital period	2.55 yr (932 d)
Mean anomaly	260.39°
Mean motion	0° 23^m 11.04^s / day
Inclination	1.4997°
Longitude of ascending node	323.48°
Argument of perihelion	203.06°
Earth MOID	0.043 AU (16.8 LD)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	350 m (est. at 0.047)
Spectral type	SMASS = D [2]
Absolute magnitude (H)	21.2[2]

Due to its relatively low transfer cost of ~5.5 km/s,[4] 2002 AT₄ was under consideration by the European Space Agency as a candidate target for the Don Quijote mission to study the effects of impacting a spacecraft into an asteroid; however, it is no longer under consideration.[5]

2002 AT₄ orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.0–2.7 AU once every 2 years and 7 months (932 days; semi-major axis of 1.87 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.45 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]

References

1. "2002 AT4". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
2. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2002 AT4)" (2006-11-27 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
3. Binzel, Richard P.; et al. (August 2004). "Observed spectral properties of near-Earth objects: results for population distribution, source regions, and space weathering processes" (PDF). Icarus. 170 (2): 259–294. Bibcode:2004Icar..170..259B. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.04.004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
4. "NEA delta_v for spacecraft rendezvous missions".
5. "ESA".

External links

• MPEC 2002-A53, Minor Planet Electronic Circular
• List of the Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), Minor Planet Center
• PHA Close Approaches To The Earth, Minor Planet Center
• List Of Amor Minor Planets (by designation), Minor Planet Center
• 2002 AT4 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Obs prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Obs info · Close · Physical info · NEOCC
• 2002 AT4 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters