4486 Mithra
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
E. W. Elst V. G. Shkodrov |
| Discovery site | Rozhen Obs. – Smolyan |
| Discovery date | 22 September 1987 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 4486 Mithra |
|
Named after
|
Mithra (proto-Indo-Iranian religion) |
| 1987 SB · 1974 DN1 | |
| Apollo · NEO · PHA | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 29.04 yr (10,607 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.6577 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.7417 AU |
| 2.1997 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.6628 |
| 3.26 yr (1,192 days) | |
| 31.529° | |
| 0° 18m 7.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.0393° |
| 82.244° | |
| 168.87° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0462 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
1.849±0.022 km 2.25 km (calculated) |
|
67.5±6 h 100 h |
|
| 0.20 (assumed) 0.297±0.056 |
|
| S | |
| 15.6 · 15.68±0.31 | |
4486 Mithra, provisional designation 1987 SB, is an eccentric asteroid and slow rotator, classified as near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous object, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It belongs to the Apollos group of asteroids and is a suspected contact-binary. It was discovered on 22 September 1987, by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst and Bulgarian astronomer Vladimir Shkodrov at Rozhen Observatory, in the Smolyan Province of Bulgaria.
The S-type orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.7–3.7 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,192 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.66 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.As a potentially hazardous asteroid, it has a low minimum orbit intersection distance with Earth of 0.0462 AU or 18 lunar distances. On 14 August 2000, it passed 0.0465 AU (6,960,000 km) from Earth. The first used precovery was taken at the Japanese Kiso Observatory in January 1987, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 8 years prior to its discovery.
Radar imaging using a delay-Doppler technique at the Arecibo and Goldstone observatories rendered a rotation period of 67.5±6 hours. Based on the radar analysis, the asteroid is also a strong candidate for a contact binary, which is composed of two distinct lobes in mutual contact, held together by their weak gravitational attraction. They typically show a , dumbbell-like shape (also see 4769 Castalia). A large number of near-Earth objects are believed to be contact-binaries.
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