2004 BX159
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Paranal Obs. |
| Discovery site | Paranal Obs. |
| Discovery date | 20 January 2004 (discovery: first observation only) |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2004 BX159 |
| main-belt · (middle) | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 19.97 yr (7,293 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.8997 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1632 AU |
| 2.5315 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1455 |
| 4.03 yr (1,471 days) | |
| 355.95° | |
| 0° 14m 40.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.0931° |
| 159.75° | |
| 153.29° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 1.2 km (estimate) 1.8 km (est. at 0.10) |
| 16.9 | |
2004 BX159, is an asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 1.2 kilometers in diameter. It was first observed at Paranal Observatory in the Atacama desert of Chile on 20 January 2004. The asteroid was listed on the Sentry Risk Table until 2014, but has since been removed.
2004 BX159 orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–2.9 AU once every 4.03 years (1,471 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.
It was thought to be a Mars-crossing asteroid because of its poorly known orbit after discovery, and was therefore listed on the Sentry Risk Table as a possible impactor. With an observation arc of 3 days, perihelion was determined to be 1.5±3 astronomical units (AU).
Precovery observations in archival data of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mauna Kea were identified in early 2014, resulting in a dramatic improvement of the orbital accuracy, sufficient to recognize the object as a regular main belt asteroid, not posing any danger to Earth.
The body was subsequently linked by the Minor Planet Center with additional observations reported since 1997. It has now a well-established orbit, observed over decades, with the lowest possible uncertainty of 0.
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