Red Barn Observatory MPC/IAU H68

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PHA 2002 FB3 (163243)

Published - http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/mpec/K10/K10F46.html

Published at Tzec Maun Foundation - http://blog.tzecmaun.org/?p=992

Follow-up observations of Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2002 FB3 (163243) were collected and submitted to the Minor Planet Center (see observations below).  At the time of imaging this object was at magnitude 17.3 - 17.5 and moving at a rate of 2.73"/minute.  The images below were composed of 14 1-minute exposures stacked in Astrometrica.  2002 FB3 is the "dot" at the top of the images.  The night of imaging this object, a series of 85 - 1-minute exposures were collected.  The exposure length should have been longer to produce better results.

2002_FB3.jpg (135784 bytes)    2002_FB3invert.jpg (135778 bytes)

Astrometry submitted to the MPC from 2002 FB3

G3243 KC2010 03 20.05934 06 21 10.09 -12 53 46.2 17.8 V H68

G3243 KC2010 03 20.06309 06 21 10.74 -12 53 35.3 17.7 V H68

G3243 KC2010 03 20.06686 06 21 11.43 -12 53 24.5 17.4 V H68

G3243 KC2010 03 20.07062 06 21 12.11 -12 53 13.7 17.9 V H68

G3243 KC2010 03 20.07438 06 21 12.79 -12 53 02.6 17.6 V H68

G3243 KC2010 03 20.07813 06 21 13.49 -12 52 51.7 17.6 V H68

G3243 KC2010 03 20.08942 06 21 15.49 -12 52 19.0 17.2 V H68

G3243 KC2010 03 20.09505 06 21 16.52 -12 52 02.7 17.2 V H68

 

Published - http://www.minorplanetcenter.org/mpec/K10/K10F46.html

 

The lightcurve was generated from the 85 exposures by using MPO Canopus.  Due to major issues in the data, the following was the best lightcurve I could produce of 2002 FB3.  More data will be added to this lightcurve when available.

 

2002FB3_lightcurve.JPG (73525 bytes)

 

The lightcurve shows two peaks in the data of over a period of about 1.5 hours - more data is needed for this lightcurve to be considered accurate.

 

This particular Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) has an absolute magnitude value of H=16.4, placing it in the range of 1km - 3km - a fairly large PHA.  If the rotational period is that of 1.5 hours, at 1km - 3km this object would have to be that of a monolithic structure (or solid structure).  A Rubble Pile asteroid would fly apart rotating at this speed!

 

 

 

 

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Last modified 08/31/2010 02:03 PM -0700

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