(612600) 2003 SM84

(612600) 2003 SM₈₄ is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Amor group orbiting between Earth and Mars. It was first observed by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) at the Lincoln Laboratory ETS on 20 September 2003.^[1] As of 2020, this minor planet has neither been nor named.^[1]

(612600) 2003 SM₈₄

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	LINEAR
Discovery site	Lincoln Laboratory ETS
Discovery date	20 September 2003 (first observed only)
Designations
MPC designation	2003 SM84
Minor planet category	NEO · Amor[1][2]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 1
Observation arc	12.21 yr (4,459 d)
Aphelion	1.2176 AU
Perihelion	1.0331 AU
Semi-major axis	1.1254 AU
Eccentricity	0.0819
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.19 yr (436 d)
Mean anomaly	97.681°
Mean motion	0° 49m 32.16s / day
Inclination	2.7956°
Longitude of ascending node	186.68°
Argument of perihelion	87.374°
Earth MOID	0.0516 AU (20.1022 LD)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	86 m (est. at 0.20)[3] 160 m (est. at 0.057)[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	22.7[2]

2003 SM₈₄ is an Amor asteroid – a subgroup of near-Earth asteroids that approach the orbit of Earth from beyond, but do not cross it. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.0–1.2 AU once every 14 months (436 days; semi-major axis of 1.13 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.^[2] The body's observation arc begins with its first observation by LINEAR in 2003.^[1]

The object's spectral type remains unknown.^[2] Using a magnitude-to-diameter conversion, 2003 SM₈₄ measures 86 and 160 meters in diameter, based on an absolute magnitude of 22.7 and an assumed albedo of 0.20 (S-type) and 0.057 (C-type), respectively.^[3] 2003 SM₈₄ was being considered by the European Space Agency as a candidate target for the Don Quijote mission to study the effects of impacting a spacecraft into an asteroid.^[4]