 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] | |
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.
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]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference
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Izawa_et_al_2015was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Thomas_et_al_2014was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "NSS Review: Mining the Sky". www.nss.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2018.