2102 Tantalus

2102 Tantalus (1975 YA) is an Apollo asteroid discovered on December 27, 1975, by C. Kowal at Palomar Observatory.^[1] It is a Q-type asteroid.^[1]

Tantalus

Discovery
Discovered by	C. Kowal
Discovery site	Palomar Observatory
Discovery date	27 December 1975
Designations
MPC designation	(2102) Tantalus
Pronunciation	/ˈtæntələs/
Named after	Tantalus
Alternative designations	1975 YA
Minor planet category	PHA[1]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	38.63 yr (14111 days)
Aphelion	1.675969247626000 AU (250.72143080353 Gm)
Perihelion	0.9041343191800040 AU (135.25656897612 Gm)
Semi-major axis	1.290051783403 AU (192.9889998898 Gm)
Eccentricity	.299148816495564
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.47 yr (535.19 d)
Mean anomaly	85.78643003020903°
Mean motion	0° 40m 21.563s / day
Inclination	64.00535930263230°
Longitude of ascending node	94.36993941983230°
Argument of perihelion	61.55509931046220°
Earth MOID	0.0430913 AU (6.44637 Gm)[1]
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	2-4 km[2]
Synodic rotation period	2.384 h (0.0993 d)[1]
Spectral type	Q[1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	16.0[1]

2102 Tantalus is a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) because its minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) is less than 0.05 AU and its diameter is greater than 150 meters. The Earth-MOID is 0.0439 AU (6,570,000 km; 4,080,000 mi).^[1] Its orbit is well-determined for the next several hundred years.

It will pass 0.04439 AU (6,641,000 km; 4,126,000 mi) from Earth on 2038-Dec-27, which is just slightly closer than the 1975-Dec-26 approach of 0.046 AU.^[1] The asteroid is about 2–4 km in diameter.^[2]

The shape of 2102 Tantalus is estimated to be roughly spherical in outline and fairly symmetrical; the surface is thought to be covered in a fine-grained regolith.^[3]