is a tiny

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

, classified as a

near-Earth object A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body orbiting the Sun whose closest approach to the Sun ( perihelion) is less than 1.3 times the Earth–Sun distance (astronomical unit, AU). This definition applies to the object's orbit a ...

of the Aten group moving in a 1:1

mean-motion resonance In celestial mechanics, orbital resonance occurs when orbiting bodies exert regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, usually because their orbital periods are related by a ratio of small integers. Most commonly, this relation ...

with

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. Because of that, it is in a

co-orbital configuration In astronomy, a co-orbital configuration is a configuration of two or more astronomical objects (such as asteroids, moons, or planets) orbiting at the same, or very similar, distance from their primary; i.e., they are in a 1:1 mean-motion resonanc ...

relative to Earth. is currently in a

horseshoe orbit In celestial mechanics, a horseshoe orbit is a type of co-orbital motion of a small orbiting body relative to a larger orbiting body. The osculating (instantaneous) orbital period of the smaller body remains very near that of the larger body, a ...

: relative to the Sun and Earth, it moves back and forth in a horseshoe shape around Earth's orbit, with Earth in the gap of the horseshoe. According to orbital calculations, the asteroid was an Earth co-orbital for at least 500 years and will stay one for at least another 2,500 years. During this time, it will remain in this horseshoe orbit for at least 800 years, then it will transfer to a

quasi-satellite A quasi-satellite is an object in a specific type of co-orbital configuration (1:1 orbital resonance) with a planet (or dwarf planet) where the object stays close to that planet over many orbital periods. A quasi-satellite's orbit around the Sun ...

orbit, then back to a horseshoe orbit after a few decades. China planned to launch an asteroid deflection probe targeting in 2025, but later changed the target to .

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control # # Minor planet object articles (unnumbered) 20191109 Horseshoe orbit