![]() Icarus is being studied to better understand general relativity, solar oblateness, and Yarkovsky drift. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts an albedo of 0.14 based on the radar-derived equivalent diameter of 1.44 kilometers and absolute magnitude of 16.96. Īnalysis of the radar data obtained at the Arecibo and Goldstone observatories in June 2015 gives the body's dimensions: 1.61 × 1.60 × 1.17 kilometers, with equivalent diameter of 1.44 kilometers. Diameter and albedo Īccording to several radiometric, photometric, and radar observations, including the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Icarus measures between 1.0 and 1.44 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.14 and 0.51. Icarus is a relatively fast rotator, near the threshold where non-solid rubble piles fly apart.Īnalysis of 2015 radar observations obtained at the Arecibo Observatory and the Goldstone Observatory yields a spin axis of (270.0°, −81.0°) in ecliptic coordinates (λ, β). Lightcurve analysis gave it a consolidated rotation period of 2.2726 hours with a brightness variation of 0.22 magnitude ( U=3). During the asteroid's close approach in June 2017, observations of the fast-moving object were taken by Italian astronomers Virginio Oldani and Federico Manzini, Brian Warner at the Palmer Divide Station ( U82) in California, and by Australian astronomers at the Darling Range and Blue Mountains Observatories ( Q68). Since 1968, several rotational lightcurves of Icarus were obtained from photometric and radiometric observations. Radiometric observation characterized Icarus as a stony S-type and Q-type asteroid. Both mythological figures are honored with the lunar craters Icarus and Daedalus. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center in January 1950 ( M.P.C. When the wax in his wings melted he fell into the sea and drowned. Icarus ignored his father's instructions not to fly too close to the Sun. They attempted to escape prison by means of wings constructed from feathers and wax. This minor planet was named after Icarus, son of Daedalus (also see 1864 Daedalus) from Greek mythology. The next notably close approach will be on 13 June 2043, at 0.0586 AU (8,770,000 km) from Earth. Before that, the previous close approach was on 11 June 1996, at 0.10119 AU (15,138,000 km), almost 40 times as far as the Moon. During this approach, Icarus became the first minor planet to be observed using radar, with measurements obtained at the Haystack Observatory and the Goldstone Tracking Station. This near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid makes close approaches to Earth in June at intervals of 9, 19, or 28 years. Icarus has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0352 AU (5,270,000 km), which translates into 13.7 lunar distances (LD). ![]() However other objects such as the short-period Sun-grazing comet 96P/Machholz are also possible candidates for the shower's origin. Icarus is thought to be the source of the Arietids, a strong daylight meteor shower. Since then hundreds of Mercury-crossers have been found, the closest ones are now being 2005 HC 4 and (394130) 2006 HY 51 (also see List of Mercury-crossing minor planets § List). From 1949 until the discovery of 3200 Phaethon in 1983, it was known as the asteroid that passed closest to the Sun. Īt perihelion, Icarus comes closer to the Sun than Mercury, i.e. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Palomar in 1949. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.83 and an inclination of 23 ° with respect to the ecliptic. Icarus orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.19–1.97 AU once every 13 months (409 days semi-major axis of 1.08 AU). Orbit and classification Orbital diagram of Icarus It was named after the mythological Icarus. This stony asteroid and relatively fast rotator with a period of 2.27 hours was discovered on 27 June 1949, by German astronomer Walter Baade at the Palomar Observatory in California. Its orbit brings it closer to the Sun than Mercury and further out than the orbit of Mars, which also makes it a Mercury-, Venus-, and Mars-crossing asteroid. In 1968, it became the first asteroid ever observed by radar. ![]() It has an extremely eccentric orbit (0.83) and measures approximately 1.4 km (0.87 mi) in diameter. 1566 Icarus ( / ˈ ɪ k ər ə s/ IK-ə-rəs provisional designation: 1949 MA) is a large near-Earth object of the Apollo group and the lowest numbered potentially hazardous asteroid.
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