380E-416-Odd Ball

0:00The orbits of the planets are closely aligned with the extension of the Sun's equator into space and are contained within the flattened disk of material which forms the plane of our solar system. Most asteroids have orbits with inclinations or tilts to the solar system's plane which are less than 20 degrees. Thus, when my Catalyst Sky Survey teammate Rose Muthini discovered a small space rock which soars into the lonely space high above and below our solar system's plane, it got our attention. As with all asteroid discoveries, Rose had no idea of what kind of object she had just discovered with our Schmidt telescope on Mount Bigelow, Arizona until it had been tracked by observers around the world. The Minor Planet Center used the data from 14 different telescopes to calculate an orbit, estimate a size and give the new object the name 2017-TF4.

1:01Rose's oddball near Earth Apollo asteroid discovery 2017-TF4 has an orbit which is tilted by 60 degrees to the plane of our solar system. Its inclination or tilt is greater than 99.5% of the other 8000 known Earth approaching Apollo asteroids. 2017-TF4 roses 260 foot diameter discovery orbits the Sun at about the same distance as the Earth once every 414 days, perhaps as asteroid hunters discover additional small objects with orbits similar to Rose's discovery, we will be able to trace them back to when they were created by a catastrophic collision long ago. For travelers in the night, this is Dr. Al Grower. Go to travelersinthenight.org Program 416 for more information.