3554 Amun is an Aten asteroid, meaning it crosses Earth's orbit, and a Venus-crosser. It was discovered on 4 March 1986 by Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at Mount Palomar Observatory, and named for the ancient Egyptian deity Amun.[2] Amun was the fifth Aten asteroid to be numbered.
 Orbit diagram of asteroid Amun with location as of September 9, 2012 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Shoemaker E. M. Shoemaker |
| Discovery date | 4 March 1986 |
| Designations | |
| (3554) Amun | |
Named after | Amun |
| 1986 EB | |
| Aten [1] Venus-crosser asteroid | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 10923 days (29.91 yr) |
| Aphelion | 1.24677 AU (186.514 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 0.700578 AU (104.8050 Gm) |
| 0.973675 AU (145.6597 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.28048 |
| 0.961 yr (350.9 d) | |
| 184.781° | |
| 1.02585°/day | |
| Inclination | 23.3626° |
| 358.627° | |
| 359.392° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.250204 AU (37.4300 Gm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 3.341 km[1] | |
| Mass | ~ 1.6×1013 kg |
| 2.53001 h (0.105417 d)[1] | |
| 0.1284±0.024[1] | |
| M-type asteroid | |
| 15.82[1] | |
Photometric observations of 3554 Amun during 2017–2018 were combined to determine a rotation period of 2.53029±0.00002 hours.[3] It has been classified as an M-type asteroid in the Tholen taxonomy, X-type in the Bus taxonomy, and C-, X-, and D-type in the Bus-DeMeo taxonomy. The featureless optical spectrum has a similar slope to the Tagish Lake meteorite, although 3554 Amun is not considered the source.[4] The infrared spectrum of 3554 Amun was found to match a D-type asteroid taxonomy.[5] The estimated diameter is 3.341 kilometers,[1] making it one of the smallest known asteroids to have an M-type classification.[citation needed]
Amun was once considered metallic, based on an M-type optical spectrum. In Mining the Sky, planetary scientist John S. Lewis calculated the purported value of a metallic 3554 Amun at $20 trillion.[6] (6178) 1986 DA is another M-type near-Earth asteroid with lower inclination that is actually metallic.
Amun passes close to Venus, and in 1964, 2034, and 2103 comes within 10 Gm of it.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3554 Amun (1986 EB)" (2014-02-19 last obs (arc=27.9 yr)). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz (2003). Dictionary of minor planet names. Vol. 1. Springer. p. 299. ISBN 9783540002383.
- ^ Koehn, Bruce W.; et al. (October 2014). "Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Asteroid Photometric Survey (NEAPS) - 2009 January through 2009 June". Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers. 41 (4): 286–300. Bibcode:2014MPBu...41..286K.
- ^ Izawa, M. R. M.; et al. (July 2015). "Variability, absorption features, and parent body searches in "spectrally featureless" meteorite reflectance spectra: Case study - Tagish Lake". Icarus. 254: 324–332. Bibcode:2015Icar..254..324I. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.04.013.
- ^ Thomas, Cristina A.; et al. (January 2014). "Physical characterization of Warm Spitzer-observed near-Earth objects". Icarus. 228: 217–246. arXiv:1310.2000. Bibcode:2014Icar..228..217T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.10.004. S2CID 119278697.
- ^ "NSS Review: Mining the Sky". www.nss.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
External links
edit- Economic value of asteroid 3554 Amun
- 3554 Amun at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 3554 Amun at ESA–space situational awareness
- 3554 Amun at the JPL Small-Body Database
