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3200 Phaethon (/ ˈ f eɪ. ə ˌ θ ɒ n /; previously sometimes spelled Phæton), provisionally designated 1983 TB, is an active [8] Apollo asteroid with an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun than any other named asteroid (though there are numerous unnamed asteroids with smaller perihelia, such as (137924) 2000 BD 19). [9]
Phaethon's 1.4-year orbit around the Sun and its comet-like elliptical trajectory have led scientists to speculate if it is a "dead comet" or a distinct celestial entity known as a "rock comet." Despite its comet-like orbit, Phaethon lacks a cometary tail and exhibits spectra resembling a rocky asteroid.
First asteroid named after cat 3200 Phaethon: 5: October 11, 1983: First asteroid discovered from space; source of Geminids meteor shower. 3753 Cruithne: 5: October 10, 1986: Unusual Earth-associated orbit 4179 Toutatis: 4.5×2.4×1.9: January 4, 1989: Closely approached Earth on September 29, 2004 4769 Castalia: 1.8×0.8: August 9, 1989
As recently as April of this year scientists have learned more about 3200 Phaethon. NASA reports research into the asteroid’s comet-like behavior found its tail was composed of sodium gas rather ...
NASA has released the following images of a large asteroid as it readies to pass by alarmingly close to Earth on April 19.. The administration has been monitoring the space rock, known as 2014 ...
(155140) 2005 UD (provisional designation 2005 UD) is an asteroid on an eccentric orbit, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group.It was discovered on 22 October 2005, by the Catalina Sky Survey at the Catalina Station in Arizona, United States. 2005 UD is thought to be a possible fragment of 3200 Phaethon due to its similar orbit, [8] [9] although it is not dynamically associated ...
Recent images released from NASA have revealed new information on the origins of the asteroid system. Nearly two years ago, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft, or DART, collided with ...
It will also observe dusts from comet/asteroid 3200 Phaethon using a dust analyzer and will map its surface using a multiband telescopic camera to understand the mechanisms of dust ejection. [2] The spacecraft will come as close as 500 km (310 mi) from 3200 Phaethon.