It was discovered on 5 December 1972, by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild at Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland, and given the provisional designation 1972 XA. It was named after Sisyphus from Greek mythology.[3][20]
Orbit and classificationedit
This S-type asteroid (composed of rocky silicates) orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 0.9–2.9 AU once every 2 years and 7 months (952 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.54 and an inclination of 41° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The Apollo asteroid has an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance of 0.1037 AU (15,500,000 km), which corresponds to 40.4 lunar distances.[1] It will pass 0.11581 AU (17,325,000 km) from Earth on 24 November 2071,[21] and will peak at roughly apparent magnitude 9.3 on 26 November 2071.[22] When it was discovered it peaked at magnitude 9.0 on 25 November 1972. It is one of the brightest near-Earth asteroids.
In 1985, this object was detected with radar from the Arecibo Observatory at a distance of 0.25 AU. The measured radar cross-section was 8 square kilometers.[6][a] During the radar observations, a small minor-planet moon was detected around Sisyphus, although its existence was not reported until December 2007. Robert Stephens confirmed that it is a suspected binary,[7] and Brian Warner added additional weight to this conclusion, giving 27.16±0.05 hours as the satellite's orbital period, longer than the 25 hours previously reported by Stephens.[8]
Diameter and albedoedit
With a measured mean diameter in the range of 5.7–8.9 kilometers, it is the largest of the Earth-crossing asteroids, comparable in size to the Chicxulub object whose impact contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs.[23] Larger near-Earth asteroids which are neither classified as Apollos nor Earth-crossers include 1036 Ganymed (32 km), 3552 Don Quixote (19 km), 433 Eros (17 km), and 4954 Eric (10.8 km).
^ abcBenner (1985), gives a diameter of 8 kilometer. Summary figures listed at LCDB
^ abPravec (1998web), gives a rotation period of 2.4 hours. Summary figures listed at LCDB
Referencesedit
^ abcdefgh"JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1866 Sisyphus (1972 XA)" (2016-08-15 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
^ abSchmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1866) Sisyphus". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1866) Sisyphus. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 150. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1867. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
^ ab"1866 Sisyphus (1972 XA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^ abcOstro, S. J.; Campbell, D. B.; Chandler, J. F.; Shapiro, I. I.; Hine, A. A.; Velez, R.; et al. (October 1991). "Asteroid radar astrometry". Astronomical Journal. 102: 1490–1502.ResearchsupportedbyNASA. Bibcode:1991AJ....102.1490O. doi:10.1086/115975. ISSN 0004-6256. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^ abcStephens, Robert D.; French, Linda, M.; Warner, Brian D.; Wasserman, Lawrence H. (October 2011). "The Curse of Sisyphus". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 38 (4): 212–213. Bibcode:2011MPBu...38..212S. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 12 December 2016.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abcdWarner, Brian D. (October 2016). "Near-Earth Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at CS3-Palmer Divide Station: 2016 April-July". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 43 (4): 311–319. Bibcode:2016MPBu...43..311W. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^ abcUsui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
^ abcPravec, Petr; Harris, Alan W.; Kusnirák, Peter; Galád, Adrián; Hornoch, Kamil (September 2012). "Absolute magnitudes of asteroids and a revision of asteroid albedo estimates from WISE thermal observations". Icarus. 221 (1): 365–387. Bibcode:2012Icar..221..365P. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.026. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^ ab"LCDB Data for (1866) Sisyphus". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^ abcDelbó, Marco; Harris, Alan W.; Binzel, Richard P.; Pravec, Petr; Davies, John K. (November 2003). "Keck observations of near-Earth asteroids in the thermal infrared". Icarus. 166 (1): 116–130. Bibcode:2003Icar..166..116D. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2003.07.002. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^ abDelbo, Marco; Walsh, Kevin; Mueller, Michael; Harris, Alan W.; Howell, Ellen S. (March 2011). "The cool surfaces of binary near-Earth asteroids". Icarus. 212 (1): 138–148. Bibcode:2011Icar..212..138D. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.12.011. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^Schober, H. J.; Erikson, A.; Hahn, G.; Lagerkvist, C. I.; Oja, T. (November 1993). "Physical Studies of Asteroids. Part XXVI. Rotation and Photoelectric Photometry of Asteroids 323, 350, 582, 1021 and 1866". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement. 101 (3): 507. Bibcode:1993A&AS..101..499S. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1866) Sisyphus". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^Szabó, Gy. M.; Csák, B.; Sárneczky, K.; Kiss, L. L. (August 2001). "Photometric observations of 9 Near-Earth Objects". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 375: 285–292. arXiv:astro-ph/0106017. Bibcode:2001A&A...375..285S. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20010813. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Bauer, J.; Wright, E.; Cutri, R. M.; et al. (August 2011). "Thermal Model Calibration for Minor Planets Observed with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer/NEOWISE". The Astrophysical Journal. 736 (2): 9. Bibcode:2011ApJ...736..100M. CiteSeerX10.1.1.472.4936. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/736/2/100. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^Thomas, Cristina A.; Emery, Joshua P.; Trilling, David E.; Delbó, Marco; Hora, Joseph L.; Mueller, Michael (January 2014). "Physical characterization of Warm Spitzer-observed near-Earth objects". Icarus. 228: 217–246. arXiv:1310.2000. Bibcode:2014Icar..228..217T. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.10.004. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
^"(1866) Sisyphus Ephemerides for November 2071". NEODyS (Near Earth Objects – Dynamic Site). Retrieved 30 October 2013.
^"JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: asteroids and NEOs and H < 13 (mag)". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
^Schmadel, Lutz D. "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 221. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7.
External linksedit
Asteroid Hazards, Part 1: What Makes an Asteroid a Hazard? on YouTube(min. 6:04)
Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
Asteroids with Satellites, Robert Johnston, johnstonsarchive.net
Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Geneve, Raoul Behrend
1866 Sisyphus at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation