2015 ME131
Discovery[1][2]
Discovery sitePan-STARRS at the Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii
Discovery dateJune 23, 2015
Designations
2015 ME131
2020 RX8
[1][2][3]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 2020-Dec-17 (JD 2459200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc5.3 years[4]
Aphelion0.98964 AU (Q)
Perihelion0.64282 AU (q)
0.81623 AU (a)
Eccentricity0.21245 (e)
0.74 years
358.69° (M)
Inclination33.645° (i)
317.78° (Ω)
156.86° (ω)
Earth MOID0.0458 AU (6,850,000 km)
Jupiter MOID4.01 AU (600,000,000 km)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
400 m[2]
500 m[4]
19.5[3]

    2015 ME131 (also written 2015 ME131) was a lost asteroid[5] and a Near-Earth object (NEO). It is an Atira asteroid, which is by far the smallest group of near-Earth objects. This makes it an interior-Earth object (IEO),[2] meaning that it has an orbit entirely confined within Earth's orbit. It was recovered on September 15, 2020 as 2020 RX8 which has extended the observation arc from 1.8 days to 5 years.[3] It was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on February 15, 2021 after the two orbits were linked together. It was first observed on June 23, 2015, when the asteroid was more than 1 AU from Earth[1] and had a solar elongation of 68 degrees.[6]

    This asteroid was in both the Risk list[2] and the Priority List of the European Space Agency (ESA) - Space Situational Awareness (SSA). This asteroid was also in the Sentry list[7] of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) - Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). According to the Sentry List, of the possible close encounters with Earth in the foreseeable future, an encounter on August 18, 2020 had the highest Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale value.[4]

    According to the Near Earth Objects Dynamic Site (NEODyS), of the possible close encounters with Earth in the foreseeable future, an encounter on August 10, 2025 is the most likely.[8] This encounter has a minimum possible distance of zero, meaning that an impact onto Earth is possible.

    See also

    References

    1. 1 2 3 "IAU Minor Planet Center 2015 ME131". International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 "ESA space situational awareness 2015ME131". European Space Agency. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
    3. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser (2015 ME131)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
    4. 1 2 3 "Sentry: Earth Impact Monitoring - Object Details 2015 ME131". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
    5. ↑ "NEODyS-2 - Near Earth Objects - Dynamic Site - Risk List". SpaceDys. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
    6. ↑ "JPL HORIZONS Web-Interface (2015 ME131)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
    7. ↑ "Sentry: Earth Impact Monitoring - Impact Risk Data". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
    8. ↑ "NEODyS-2 - Near Earth Objects - Dynamic Site - 2015ME131 - Close Approaches". SpaceDys. Retrieved 4 August 2020.


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