Updated: Close Approach of Asteroid 2006 VV2

Lydia

Here are Ken's updates for this event. You may want to copy the page to a word programme so the data displays correctly, since it kinda looks like gibberish as I copied it off the list server... -LL

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Asteroid 2006 VV2 was discovered last year on November 11 by the LINEAR Program using one of the meter class automated instruments on the White Sands Missile Range in Socorro, NM.

Being an Apollo asteroid, it's a member of a group of near-Earth asteroids with orbits that cross ours. Only when they come near us are they bright enough to easily see in backyard scopes.

Normally running from magnitude 16 to 22, 2006VV2 will pass very nearby at the end of the month. It looks like just about 27 minutes into April (April Fools Day??) is the closest approach to my backyard using the ephemeris generator at http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi - type into the search window 2006 VV2 to get to the database browser. Click ephemeris then change settings to match your location - using Houston will do since the difference is only a few arc seconds from my house in Willis.
The asteroid brightens to better than 10th magnitude as it crosses Leo at more than one degree per hour. The one downside is the nearly full Moon 21 degrees to the south.

Looking closely at several ephemerides of the track, I noticed peak magnitude comes just past the closest approach. When you pull up the data from the JPL Horizons Web-Interface, you get info on the phase angle, elongation, distance and magnitude. As the phase angle falls, we see more sunlight striking the target - in this case, the newly discovered asteroid 2006 VV2. I have pasted below some of the info from the ephemeris generator for my location in Willis. The date and hour are Universal times - remember daylight savings time will be in effect at the end of March (Sunday March 11). The R.A. and DEC are J2000. The APmag is the asteroid's approximate apparent visual magnitude using standard constraints not knowing the true albedo of the asteroid. Delta is the distance from my lat. and long. in A.U. - 1 AU = 149,597,870.691 kilometers.

Kenneth (drako) Drake

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Date__(UT)__HR:MN R.A._(ICRF/J2000.0)_DEC APmag delta
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2007-Mar-30 00:00 *m 10 15 04.88 +54 42 17.5 10.95 .025668891697490 2007-Mar-30 01:00 Cm 10 15 43.20 +53 55 05.6 10.91 .025474038507539 2007-Mar-30 02:00 Am 10 16 18.97 +53 06 58.7 10.88 .025285138480985 2007-Mar-30 03:00 m 10 16 52.72 +52 17 54.5 10.84 .025102614592157 2007-Mar-30 04:00 m 10 17 25.04 +51 27 51.5 10.81 .024926822915531 2007-Mar-30 05:00 m 10 17 56.51 +50 36 49.7 10.78 .024758032409411 2007-Mar-30 06:00 m 10 18 27.73 +49 44 50.2 10.74 .024596410115075 2007-Mar-30 07:00 m 10 18 59.22 +48 51 55.3 10.71 .024442013081655 2007-Mar-30 08:00 m 10 19 31.42 +47 58 08.3 10.68 .024294787873987 2007-Mar-30 09:00 m 10 20 04.65 +47 03 33.5 10.64 .024154577979910 2007-Mar-30 10:00 m 10 20 39.11 +46 08 15.7 10.61 .024021138844721
2007-Mar-30 11:00 A 10 21 14.85 +45 12 20.1 10.58 .023894159674954
2007-Mar-30 12:00 C 10 21 51.81 +44 15 51.7 10.55 .023773290617650
2007-Mar-30 13:00 * 10 22 29.76 +43 18 55.5 10.51 .023658173481882
2007-Mar-30 14:00 * 10 23 08.39 +42 21 35.8 10.48 .023548473859823
2007-Mar-30 15:00 * 10 23 47.32 +41 23 56.1 10.45 .023443912349349
2007-Mar-30 16:00 * 10 24 26.08 +40 25 59.2 10.42 .023344292589204
2007-Mar-30 17:00 * 10 25 04.20 +39 27 46.7 10.39 .023249523988371
2007-Mar-30 18:00 * 10 25 41.21 +38 29 19.5 10.36 .023159637352380
2007-Mar-30 19:00 * 10 26 16.70 +37 30 37.6 10.34 .023074792058440
2007-Mar-30 20:00 * 10 26 50.30 +36 31 40.3 10.31 .022995273984312
2007-Mar-30 21:00 * 10 27 21.76 +35 32 26.2 10.28 .022921484019377
2007-Mar-30 22:00 * 10 27 50.91 +34 32 54.1 10.25 .022853917646455
2007-Mar-30 23:00 *m 10 28 17.72 +33 33 02.3 10.23 .022793136739564
2007-Mar-31 00:00 *m 10 28 42.28 +32 32 49.9 10.20 .022739735332201
2007-Mar-31 01:00 Cm 10 29 04.79 +31 32 16.1 10.18 .022694301627647
2007-Mar-31 02:00 Am 10 29 25.54 +30 31 21.1 10.16 .022657378899739
2007-Mar-31 03:00 m 10 29 44.93 +29 30 05.7 10.14 .022629428128096
2007-Mar-31 04:00 m 10 30 03.37 +28 28 31.9 10.11 .022610795193886
2007-Mar-31 05:00 m 10 30 21.34 +27 26 42.4 10.10 .022601685214390
2007-Mar-31 06:00 m 10 30 39.29 +26 24 40.8 10.08 .022602146123706
2007-Mar-31 07:00 m 10 30 57.64 +25 22 31.4 10.06 .022612062942325
2007-Mar-31 08:00 m 10 31 16.73 +24 20 19.0 10.04 .022631163373501
2007-Mar-31 09:00 m 10 31 36.85 +23 18 08.7 10.03 .022659034490300
2007-Mar-31 10:00 m 10 31 58.15 +22 16 05.6 10.01 .022695149413922
2007-Mar-31 11:00 Am 10 32 20.71 +21 14 14.5 10.00 .022738902109483
2007-Mar-31 12:00 C 10 32 44.46 +20 12 39.9 9.99 .022789647806795
2007-Mar-31 13:00 * 10 33 09.27 +19 11 25.7 9.98 .022846746138615
2007-Mar-31 14:00 * 10 33 34.87 +18 10 35.2 9.97 .022909603901721
2007-Mar-31 15:00 * 10 34 00.96 +17 10 11.0 9.96 .022977714390677
2007-Mar-31 16:00 * 10 34 27.17 +16 10 14.9 9.95 .023050690514237
2007-Mar-31 17:00 * 10 34 53.11 +15 10 48.2 9.94 .023128289343879
2007-Mar-31 18:00 * 10 35 18.38 +14 11 51.6 9.94 .023210426360910
2007-Mar-31 19:00 * 10 35 42.64 +13 13 25.3 9.93 .023297178324134
2007-Mar-31 20:00 * 10 36 05.57 +12 15 29.6 9.93 .023388774516136
2007-Mar-31 21:00 * 10 36 26.95 +11 18 04.3 9.92 .023485576861317
2007-Mar-31 22:00 * 10 36 46.61 +10 21 09.4 9.92 .023588050197052
2007-Mar-31 23:00 * 10 37 04.52 +09 24 45.3 9.92 .023696724725599
2007-Apr-01 00:00 *m 10 37 20.71 +08 28 52.4 9.92 .023812153186883
2007-Apr-01 01:00 Cm 10 37 35.34 +07 33 31.5 9.92 .023934865791731
2007-Apr-01 02:00 Am 10 37 48.64 +06 38 43.6 9.93 .024065326151210
2007-Apr-01 03:00 m 10 38 00.91 +05 44 30.3 9.93 .024203891406170
2007-Apr-01 04:00 m 10 38 12.48 +04 50 53.0 9.94 .024350779536511
2007-Apr-01 05:00 m 10 38 23.74 +03 57 53.6 9.94 .024506046310014
2007-Apr-01 06:00 m 10 38 35.06 +03 05 33.8 9.95 .024669573604323
2007-Apr-01 07:00 m 10 38 46.78 +02 13 55.4 9.96 .024841070019233
2007-Apr-01 08:00 m 10 38 59.21 +01 22 59.7 9.97 .025020083720511
2007-Apr-01 09:00 m 10 39 12.56 +00 32 47.9 9.99 .025206026566776
2007-Apr-01 10:00 m 10 39 26.99 -00 16 39.1 10.00 .025398207728467
2007-Apr-01 11:00 Am 10 39 42.56 -01 05 20.9 10.01 .025595874325389
2007-Apr-01 12:00 C 10 39 59.24 -01 53 17.5 10.03 .025798256166256
2007-Apr-01 13:00 * 10 40 16.89 -02 40 29.1 10.04 .026004611415881
2007-Apr-01 14:00 * 10 40 35.32 -03 26 56.3 10.06 .026214270027630
2007-Apr-01 15:00 * 10 40 54.28 -04 12 40.0 10.07 .026426671996247
2007-Apr-01 16:00 * 10 41 13.45 -04 57 41.0 10.09 .026641397882873
2007-Apr-01 17:00 * 10 41 32.51 -05 42 00.3 10.10 .026858189625333
2007-Apr-01 18:00 * 10 41 51.12 -06 25 38.6 10.12 .027076960312359
2007-Apr-01 19:00 * 10 42 08.98 -07 08 36.7 10.14 .027297792330543
2007-Apr-01 20:00 * 10 42 25.82 -07 50 54.9 10.16 .027520924060222
2007-Apr-01 21:00 * 10 42 41.44 -08 32 33.7 10.18 .027746726044689
2007-Apr-01 22:00 * 10 42 55.70 -09 13 32.7 10.20 .027975668256818
2007-Apr-01 23:00 * 10 43 08.55 -09 53 51.8 10.22 .028208280689492
2007-Apr-02 00:00 * 10 43 20.02 -10 33 30.5 10.24 .028445109965564

I got this on one of the list servers. Sounds like a good observing target for this month. (Hope our clear weather holds out until the weekend!) I'll add his updates when they come available.

LL

Asteroid 2006 VV2 is approaching a nice close pass of our Blue Planet
this month and will brighten to 10th magnitude (from near 16th) around the end of the month.
I will give much more detailed info in the morning. Those wanting to do
their own search can go to http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi and enter 2006 VV2 in the search box. Run the orbit diagram.

drako

Updated: Close Approach of Asteroid 2006 VV2

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