65803 Didymos
Near-Earth asteroid / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about 65803 Didymos?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
65803 Didymos (provisional designation 1996 GT) is a sub-kilometer asteroid and binary system that is classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group.[lower-alpha 1] The asteroid was discovered in 1996 by the Spacewatch survey at Kitt Peak, and its small 160-meter minor-planet moon, named Dimorphos, was discovered in 2003. Due to its binary nature, the asteroid was then named Didymos, the Greek word for 'twin'.
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Spacewatch |
Discovery site | Kitt Peak National Observatory |
Discovery date | 11 April 1996 |
Designations | |
(65803) Didymos | |
Pronunciation | /ˈdɪdɪmɒs/[2] |
Named after | Greek word for "Twin"[3] |
1996 GT | |
NEO · PHA Apollo (2022) [1][lower-alpha 1] | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 21 January 2022 (JD 2459600.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 24.82 years (9,066 days) |
Aphelion | 2.2753 AU |
Perihelion | 1.0131 AU |
1.6442 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.38385 |
2.11 yr (770 days) | |
232.01 | |
0° 28m 2.28s / day | |
Inclination | 3.4079° |
73.196° | |
319.32° | |
Known satellites | 1 (Dimorphos) |
Earth MOID | 0.0403 AU (15.7 LD) |
Mars MOID | 0.02 AU (7.8 LD)[4] |
Physical characteristics[5] | |
Dimensions | 851 × 849 × 620 m (± 15 × 15 × 15 m) |
Mean diameter | 765±15 m[lower-alpha 2] |
Mass | (5.4±0.4)×1011 kg (system)[6] ≈ 5.2×1011 kg (primary)[7] |
Mean density | 2.40±0.30 g/cm3[5] |
2.2600±0.0001[6] 2.2593±0.0002 h[8] | |
174°±20°[lower-alpha 3] | |
Pole ecliptic latitude | −84°±20° |
Pole ecliptic longitude | 310°±20° |
0.15±0.04 | |
S[6][10] · SMASS = Xk[1] · X[11] | |
18.0[1] · 18.16[11][8][12] 18.16±0.03[13] | |
Didymos's moon, Dimorphos, was the target of the DART mission to test the viability of asteroid impact avoidance by collision with a spacecraft, while the impact was witnessed by LICIACube, a flyby CubeSat component of the mission.