The asteroid 1998 KY26 was discovered on June 2, 1998, by Spacewatch and observed until June 8, when it passed 800,000 kilometers away from Earth. It is roughly spherical and is only about 30 metres in diameter. Although it is nearly small enough be classified a meteoroid, the most common definition uses a diameter of 10 m as the demarcation, just making 1998 KY26 an asteroid.
With a rotation period of 10.7 minutes it has one of the shortest sidereal days of any known object in the solar system, and cannot possibly be a rubble pile. It is also one of the most easily accessed objects in the solar system, and its orbit frequently brings it on a path very similar to the optimum Earth-Mars transfer orbit. This, coupled with the fact that it is water rich, makes it an attractive target for further study and a potential source of water for future missions to Mars.
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The asteroid 1998 KY26 was discovered on June 2, 1998, by Spacewatch and observed until June 8,...
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The asteroid 1998 KY26 was discovered on June 2, 1998, by Spacewatch and observed until June 8, when it passed 800,000 kilometers away from Earth. It is roughly spherical and is only about 30 metres in diameter. Although it is nearly small enough be classified a meteoroid, the most common definition uses a diameter of 10 m as the demarcation, just making 1998 KY26 an asteroid.
With a rotation period of 10.7 minutes it has one of the shortest sidereal days of any known object in the solar system, and cannot possibly be a rubble pile. It is also one of the most easily accessed objects in the solar system, and its orbit frequently brings it on a path very similar to the optimum Earth-Mars transfer orbit. This, coupled with the fact that it is water rich, makes it an attractive target for further study and a potential source of water for future missions to Mars.
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