| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Eleanor F. Helin R. Scott Dunbar |
| Discovery date | 4 November 1981 |
| Designations | |
| (3360) Syrinx | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɪrɪŋks/[1] |
Named after | Syrinx |
| 1981 VA | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 12556 days (34.38 yr) |
| Aphelion | 4.30603 AU (644.173 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 0.62791 AU (93.934 Gm) |
| 2.46697 AU (369.053 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.74547 |
| 3.87 yr (1415.3 d) | |
| 315.35° | |
| 0° 15m 15.732s / day | |
| Inclination | 21.154° |
| 242.561° | |
| 63.457° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.107877 AU (16.1382 Gm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 1.8 km |
| 0.9 km | |
| 0.17 | |
| 15.9 | |
3360 Syrinx (originally designated 1981 VA) is an Apollo and Mars crosser asteroid discovered in 1981. It approaches Earth to within 40 Gm three times in the 21st century: 33 Gm in 2039, 40 Gm in 2070, and 24 Gm in 2085.
On 20 September 2012, it closely encountered Earth at a distance of 0.4192 AU (62,710,000 km; 38,970,000 mi),[2] peaking in brightness at an apparent magnitude of 17.0.[3] In opposition on 23 November 2012, it brightened to magnitude 16.0.[3]
It is a member of the Alinda group of asteroids with a 3:1 resonance with Jupiter that has excited the eccentricity of the orbit over the eons.[4] As an Alinda asteroid it makes approaches to Jupiter, Earth, and Venus.[2]
For a time, it was the lowest numbered asteroid that had not been named. In November 2006, this distinction passed to 3708 Socus, and in May 2021 to (4596) 1981 QB.[citation needed]
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