is a very small near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous object of the Apollo group, approximately in diameter. It was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey at Catalina Station on 9 April 2019, a few days before it made its first-observed pass through the cislunar region at a distance of , comparable to roughly half the average distance from the Earth to the Moon (0.58 LD).
Orbit and classification
is a member of the Apollo group of asteroids, which are Earth-crossing asteroids. They are the largest group of near-Earth objects with approximately 10,000 known members. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.91–1.29 AU once every 14 months (424 days; semi-major axis of 1.1 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.
The body's observation arc begins with its first observation by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 31 March 2019, just a few days prior to its potential discovery observation by the Catalina Sky Survey.
Physical characteristics Diameter and albedo
The dimensions of the asteroid are estimated to range between and has been compared to size of a house. Based on a magnitude-to-diameter conversion and a measured absolute magnitude of 26.5, measures between 15 and 28 meters in diameter for an assumed geometric albedo of 0.20 (siliceous) and 0.057 (carbonaceous), respectively.
References
External links CSS Observer Africano Discovers 2019's Closest Earth-Grazing Asteroid, Catalina Sky Survey, 17 April 2019