1998 KY26
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- The correct title of this article is 1998 KY26. It features superscript or subscript characters that are substituted or omitted because of technical limitations.
The asteroid 1998 KY26 (also written 1998 KY26) was discovered on June 2, 1998 by Spacewatch and observed until June 8 while it passed 800,000 kilometers (half a million miles) away from Earth (a little more than twice the Earth-Moon distance). The object could also be classified as a meteoroid, although the most common definition uses a diameter of 10 m as the demarcation. 1998 KY26 has a shape similar to a sphere and is about only 30 m (100 ft) in diameter. Its most fascinating characteristic is that it is fast-spinning and water-rich. This discovery is attributed to an international team of astronomers led by Dr. Steven J. Ostro of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The team used a radar telescope in California and optical telescopes in the Czech Republic, Hawaii, Arizona and California.
Asteroid 1998 KY26 is the smallest solar system object ever studied in detail and was the fastest spinning object observed at the time of its discovery. Its rotational period is 10.7 minutes. Most asteroids with established rotational rates have periods measured in hours. It was the first recognized minor object which spins fast enough that it must be a monolithic object rather than a rubble pile as most asteroids are thought to be. Since 1998 KY26 was found to be a fast rotator, several other small asteroids have been found to also have short rotation periods, some even faster than 1998 KY26.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Media Relations Office. Sun never sets, for long, on fast-spinning, water-rich asteroid (press release). Pasadena, California: Jet Propulsion Laboratory. July 22, 1999.
Vulcanoids · Near-Earth asteroids · Main belt · Jupiter Trojans · Centaurs · Damocloids · Comets · Trans-Neptunians (Kuiper belt • Scattered disc • Oort cloud)
For other objects and regions, see Asteroid groups and families, Binary asteroids, Asteroid moons and the Solar System.
For a complete listing, see List of asteroids. See also Pronunciation of asteroid names and Meanings of asteroid names.
