(98943) 2001 CC21 (provisional designation 2001 CC21) is a stony near-Earth asteroid of the Apollo group, with a diameter of about 500 metres (1,600 feet). It was discovered by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey at Socorro, New Mexico on 3 February 2001. It is an upcoming flyby target of JAXA's Hayabusa2 extended mission, which will approach less than 100 km (62 mi) from the asteroid in July 2026.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Lincoln Lab ETS |
| Discovery date | 3 February 2001 |
| Designations | |
| (98943) 2001 CC21 | |
| 1982 VE13 | |
| NEO · Apollo | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 25 February 2023 (JD 2460000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 40.31 yr (14,725 days) |
| Earliest precovery date | 10 November 1982 |
| Aphelion | 1.259 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.806 AU |
| 1.032 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2192 |
| 1.05 yr (383.1 d) | |
| 280.856° | |
| 0° 56m 23.328s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.807° |
| 75.519° | |
| 179.441° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.08303 AU (12,421,000 km) |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 329+78 −41 m (NEOWISE) 420–560 m (polarimetry) |
| 5.0247±0.0001 h | |
| 0.285±0.083 | |
| S | |
| 18.77 | |
Physical characteristics
Near-infrared spectroscopy of 2001 CC21 in 2023 shows that it is a stony S-type asteroid composed of silicates, with traces of pyroxene on its surface. These findings disprove earlier suggestions of an L-type asteroid spectrum, which lack pyroxene absorption bands by contrast.
Rotation and light curve
2001 CC21's rotation period was first measured through photometric light curves in January 2002, which showed a periodicity of 5.02 hours. Observations in 2003 and 2022 secured this period and refined it to 5.0247±0.0001 hours. 2001 CC21 significantly varies in brightness by 0.8–1.1 magnitudes as it rotates, which indicates it has an elongated shape.
Exploration
Hayabusa2 · 162173 Ryugu · Earth · Sun · 2001 CC21 · 1998 KY26
In September 2020, a mission extension for JAXA's Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return probe was selected to do additional flybys of two near-Earth asteroids: 2001 CC21 in July 2026 and a rendezvous with 1998 KY26 in July 2031. Hayabusa2 will flyby within 100 km (62 mi) of 2001 CC21 at a very high relative speed of 5 km/s (3.1 mi/s), which will pose a challenge for the spacecraft's navigation and tracking capabilities during the encounter.
See also
- 162173 Ryugu, Hayabusa2's asteroid sample return target in 2018
- 1998 KY26, second asteroid flyby target of Hayabusa2 in 2031
References
External links
- "Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa2". Institute of Space and Astronomical Science. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
- (98943) 2001 CC21 at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- (98943) 2001 CC21 at the JPL Small-Body Database
