| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Robert Weryk Richard Wainscoat |
| Discovery site | Pan-STARRS 1 Haleakala Observatory |
| Discovery date | 1 April 2016 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2016 G1 |
| Alternative designations | PK16G010 |
| Minor planet category | Asteroid belt |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 30 April 2016 (JD 2457508.5) | |
| Observation arc | 198 days |
| Aphelion | 3.126 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.040 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 2.583 AU |
| Orbital period (sidereal) | 4.152 years |
| Mean anomaly | 295.62° |
| Inclination | 10.968° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 204.07° |
| Argument of perihelion | 111.28° |
| Earth MOID | 1.057 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 200–400 m (660–1,310 ft) |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 16.1 |
P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS) was a main-belt asteroid that was destroyed by an impact event on 6 March 2016.
Observational history
It was discovered by Robert Weryk and Richard Wainscoat of the Pan-STARRS 1 survey at Haleakala Observatory. The object was initially thought to be an Encke-type comet because of its diffuse appearance, so it received the periodic comet designation P/2016 G1. After further analysis, what had initially appeared to be a comet's halo turned out to be rubble from a collision. By November 2019, analysis suggested the collision had occurred on 6 March 2016, and the asteroid was struck by a smaller object that may have massed only 1.0 kg (2.2 lb), and was traveling at 11,000 mph (18,000 km/h). P/2016 G1's diameter was between 200 m (660 ft) and 400 m (1,300 ft). The asteroid had completely disintegrated by 2017.
Astronomers were able to use the asteroid's rubble to determine the date of the collision, since the dispersion of dust was inversely proportional to its size.
See also
References
- ^ G. V. Williams (4 April 2016). "MPEC 2016-G72: Comet P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
- ^ "P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ N. T. Redd (20 November 2019). "Deadly Collision Blows an Asteroid Apart". Eos. Archived from the original on 1 December 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- O. R. Hainaut; J. T. Kleyna; K. J. Meech; M. Boslough; M. Micheli; et al. (2019). "Disintegration of Active Asteroid P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS)" (PDF). Astronomy & Astrophysics. 628. arXiv:1907.00751. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201935868.
- F. Moreno; J. Licandro; A. Cabrera-Lavers; F. J. Pozuelos (2016). "Early evolution of disrupted asteroid P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS)". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 826 (2): L22. arXiv:1607.03375. Bibcode:2016ApJ...826L..22M. doi:10.3847/2041-8205/826/2/L22. S2CID 118413776.
- C. dela Fuente Marcos; R. dela Fuente Marcos (2022). "Recent arrivals to the main asteroid belt". Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy. 134 (5): 38. arXiv:2207.07013. Bibcode:2022CeMDA.134...38D. doi:10.1007/s10569-022-10094-4. ISSN 0923-2958. S2CID 251638931.
- R. G. Andrews (26 November 2019). "This Is What It Looks Like When an Asteroid Gets Destroyed". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
External links
- P/2016 G1 at the JPL Small-Body Database
- P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS), Minor Planet Center
- Images of P/2016 G1 Archived 30 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Luc Arnold
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