2102 Tantalus (1975 YA) is an
Apollo asteroid
The Apollo asteroids are a group of near-Earth asteroids named after 1862 Apollo, discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth in the 1930s. They are Earth-crossing asteroids that have an orbital semi-major axis greater than that of the Ear ...
discovered on December 27, 1975, by
C. Kowal at
Palomar Observatory
The Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in the Palomar Mountains of San Diego County, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observat ...
.
[ It is a ]Q-type asteroid
Q-type asteroids are relatively uncommon inner-belt asteroids with a strong, broad 1 micrometre olivine and pyroxene feature, and a spectral slope that indicates the presence of metal. There are absorption features shortwards and longwards of 0.7& ...
.[
2102 Tantalus is a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) because its ]minimum orbit intersection distance
Minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) is a measure used in astronomy to assess potential close approaches and collision risks between astronomical objects. It is defined as the distance between the closest points of the osculating orbits o ...
(MOID) is less than 0.05 AU and its diameter is greater than 150 meters. The Earth-MOID is .[ Its orbit is well-determined for the next several hundred years.
It will pass from Earth on 2038-Dec-27, which is just slightly closer than the 1975-Dec-26 approach of 0.046 AU.][ The asteroid is about 2–4 km in diameter.]regolith
Regolith () is a blanket of unconsolidated, loose, heterogeneous superficial deposits covering solid rock. It includes dust, broken rocks, and other related materials and is present on Earth, the Moon, Mars, some asteroids, and other terrestria ...
.[
]
References
002102
Discoveries by Charles T. Kowal
Named minor planets
002102
002102
19751227
{{NE-asteroid-stub