Broad-band Photometry of the Near-Earth Asteroid 2014 CR.
ATel #5955; M. Hicks (JPL/Caltech), J. Frederick (PCC), I. Harley (PCC)
on 7 Mar 2014; 22:57 UT
Credential Certification: Michael D. Hicks (Michael.Hicks@jpl.nasa.gov)
Subjects: Optical, Asteroid, Planet (minor), Solar System Object, Near-Earth Object
The small near-Earth asteroid 2014 CR was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on February 5, 2014 (MPEC 2014-C16). Although the object's orbit passes very close to the Earth's orbit (Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance MOID = 0.021 AU), it is too small (H > 22 mag) to be considered a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA). The object passed within 0.021 AU (8.2 Lunar Distances) on February 29, 2014.
We obtained one night of Bessel BVRI photometry at the JPL Table Mountain 0.6-m telescope on February 22, as illustrated in
Figure 1
and summarized in Table 1. The rotationally averaged colors (B-R=1.160+/-0.012; V-R=0.429+/-0.012; R-I=0.304+/-0.022) were compared to the ~1300 asteroid spectra in the SMASS2 database (Bus & Binzel 2002). The colors of 2014 CR were found to be most compatible with an Xc classification (Bus Taxonomy), as shown in
Figure 2
and Table 2. Assuming a phase parameter g=0.05 (consistent with an Xc taxonomy) we measured a revised absolute magnitude H_V = 22.38+/-0.02 mag, implying an effective diameter on the order of 200 meters (albedo rho=0.05). Applying standard Fourier techniques and assuming a double-peaked lightcurve, we found a best-fit synodic period of 6.35+/-0.03 hr, as shown in
Figure 3.
Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. The research described in this telegram was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The student participation was supported by the National Science Foundation under REU grant AST-1156756 to Los Angeles City College.
Table 1: Observational summary.
UT Date r(AU) d(AU) p(deg) V(mag)
Feb 22.39 1.004 0.024 52.0 16.5
Table 2: Top 5 spectral matches in the SMASS II database.
Taxonomic Class
Misfit Asteroid Name (Tholen) (BUS)
2.123 2996 Bowman Xc
2.431 4786 Tatianina Xc
2.534 3958 Komendantov Xc
2.817 1301 Yvonne C
2.889 247 Eukrate CP Xc
