asteroid 4179 Toutatis
E918823
Asteroid 4179 Toutatis is a near-Earth, tumbling, elongated asteroid known for its close approaches to Earth and detailed radar imaging that revealed its distinctive contact-binary shape.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| 4179 Toutatis | 0 |
Statements (51)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Apollo asteroid
ⓘ
contact binary ⓘ minor planet ⓘ near-Earth asteroid ⓘ potentially hazardous asteroid ⓘ |
| absoluteMagnitude_H | 15.3 ⓘ |
| albedo | 0.13 ⓘ |
| aphelionDistance_au | 4.12 ⓘ |
| approachType | Earth-crossing ⓘ |
| approximateDimensions_km | 4.6 × 2.4 × 1.9 ⓘ |
| argumentOfPerihelion_deg | 278.7 ⓘ |
| ascendingNodeLongitude_deg | 128.3 ⓘ |
| belongsTo | Solar System NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| closeApproachTarget |
Earth
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mars NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| closeApproachToEarth |
1992-12-08
ⓘ
1996-11-29 ⓘ 2004-09-29 ⓘ 2012-12-12 ⓘ |
| discoverer | Christian Pollas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| discoveryCountry | France NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| discoveryDate | 1989-01-04 ⓘ |
| discoverySite | Caussols Observatory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| eccentricity | 0.63 ⓘ |
| flybyDate | 2012-12-13 ⓘ |
| hasChaoticRotation | true ⓘ |
| imagedBySpacecraft | Chang'e 2 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| inclination_deg | 0.45 ⓘ |
| minimumOrbitIntersectionDistance_au | 0.006 ⓘ |
| mpcNumber | 4179 ⓘ |
| namedAfter |
Teutates
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Toutatis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableCloseApproachDistance_au | 0.0104 GENERATED ⓘ |
| orbitalClass | Apollo group NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| orbitalPeriod_years | 4.02 ⓘ |
| orbitingBody | Sun NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| perihelionDistance_au | 0.94 ⓘ |
| provisionalDesignation | 1989 AC NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| radarImagingRevealed |
bilobate shape
ⓘ
distinct neck region ⓘ |
| radarObservedBy |
Arecibo Observatory
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| rotationPeriod_longAxis_hours | 5.4 ⓘ |
| rotationPeriod_precession_hours | 7.4 ⓘ |
| rotationState |
non-principal axis rotation
ⓘ
tumbling ⓘ |
| semiMajorAxis_au | 2.53 ⓘ |
| shape |
contact-binary
ⓘ
elongated ⓘ |
| spectralType | S-type asteroid ⓘ |
| visitedBy | Chang'e 2 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.