| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Kowal |
| Discovery site | Palomar Observatory |
| Discovery date | 27 December 1975 |
| Designations | |
| (2102) Tantalus | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtæntələs/ |
Named after | Tantalus |
| 1975 YA | |
| PHA[1] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 38.63 yr (14111 days) |
| Aphelion | 1.675969247626000 AU (250.72143080353 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 0.9041343191800040 AU (135.25656897612 Gm) |
| 1.290051783403 AU (192.9889998898 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | .299148816495564 |
| 1.47 yr (535.19 d) | |
| 85.78643003020903° | |
| 0° 40m 21.563s / day | |
| Inclination | 64.00535930263230° |
| 94.36993941983230° | |
| 61.55509931046220° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0430913 AU (6.44637 Gm)[1] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2-4 km[2] |
| 2.384 h (0.0993 d)[1] | |
| Q[1] | |
| 16.0[1] | |
2102 Tantalus (1975 YA) is an Apollo asteroid discovered on December 27, 1975, by C. Kowal at Palomar Observatory.[1] It is a Q-type asteroid.[1]
2102 Tantalus is a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) because its minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) is less than 0.05 AU and its diameter is greater than 150 meters. The Earth-MOID is 0.0439 AU (6,570,000 km; 4,080,000 mi).[1] Its orbit is well-determined for the next several hundred years.
It will pass 0.04439 AU (6,641,000 km; 4,126,000 mi) from Earth on 2038-Dec-27, which is just slightly closer than the 1975-Dec-26 approach of 0.046 AU.[1] The asteroid is about 2–4 km in diameter.[2]
The shape of 2102 Tantalus is estimated to be roughly spherical in outline and fairly symmetrical; the surface is thought to be covered in a fine-grained regolith.[3]