P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS)

P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS)
Discovery
Discovered byRobert Weryk
Richard Wainscoat
Discovery sitePan-STARRS 1
Haleakala Observatory
Discovery date1 April 2016
Designations
Asteroid belt
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 30 April 2016 (JD 2457508.5)
Observation arc198 days
Aphelion3.126 AU
Perihelion2.040 AU
2.583 AU
4.152 years
295.62°
Inclination10.968°
204.07°
111.28°
Earth MOID1.057 AU
Physical characteristics
Dimensions200–400 m (660–1,310 ft)
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

  1. ↑ G. V. Williams (4 April 2016). "MPEC 2016-G72: Comet P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 "P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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.