WT1190F: Difference between revisions

WT1190F
	WT1190F entering the atmosphere over Sri Lanka, viewed by the airborne observation team
Discovery
Discovered by	Mount Lemmon Survey (G96); Catalina Sky Survey (703);
Discovery date	26 October 2009; 18 February 2013; 29 November 2013; 3 October 2015;
Designations
Alternative names	9U01FF6; UDA34A3; UW8551D;
Minor planet category	Distant artificial satellite (before Jun 2009 to 13 November 2015)
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 3 October 2015 (JD 2457298.5)
Periapsis	21,222 km (13,187 mi) (0.055 LD; 3.33 ER)
Apoapsis	655,374 km (407,231 mi) (1.704 LD, 102.75 ER)
Semi-major axis	338,298 km (210,209 mi) (0.880 LD, 53.04 ER)
Eccentricity	0.937269
Orbital period (sidereal)	22.66 days
Average orbital speed	1.1 km/s @ 0.00226 AU
Mean anomaly	6.191°
Inclination	3.197°
Longitude of ascending node	311.556°
Time of perihelion	2 October 2015 14:39:00 UT
Argument of perihelion	314.044°
Satellite of	Earth
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	0.7 to 2 meters (2 to 7 ft)
Mass	250 to 2,000 kilograms (550 to 4,400 lb)
Mean density	~0.10 g/cm3
Synodic rotation period	0.75 seconds
Albedo	>0.1
Apparent magnitude	~16–23
Absolute magnitude (H)	31.3

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WT1190F (9U01FF6, UDA34A3, or UW8551D) was a small temporary satellite of Earth that impacted Earth on 13 November 2015 at 06:18:21.7 (± 0.1 seconds) UTC.^[4]^: 7–8 It is thought to have been space debris from the trans-lunar injection stage of the 1998 Lunar Prospector mission.^[5]^[6] It was first discovered on 18 February 2013 by the Catalina Sky Survey.^[2]^[7] It was then lost, and reacquired on 29 November 2013. It was again discovered on 3 October 2015 by astronomer Rose Garcia with the Catalina Sky Survey 60-inch telescope, and the object was soon identified to be the same as the two objects previously sighted by the team, who have been sharing their data through the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center (MPC).^[8] An early orbit calculation showed that it was orbiting Earth in an extremely elliptical orbit, taking it from within the geosynchronous satellite ring to nearly twice the distance of the Moon.^[1] It was also probably the same object as 9U01FF6, another object on a similar orbit discovered on 26 October 2009.

WT1190F had been orbiting Earth as a temporary satellite (named UWAIS) since mid-2009, if not longer. While it has not been positively identified with any known artificial satellites, its estimated density of 0.1 g/cm³ was much lower than would be expected of a natural object as even water has a density of 1 g/cm³. Hence, European Space Agency astronomers have concluded that the object was likely a fuel tank of some sort.^[2]^[7]

After more observations, astronomers determined that the object would impact Earth on 13 November 2015 at 06:18 UTC (11:48 local time),^[9] south of Sri Lanka.^[2]^[7] Due to its small size, it was expected that most or all of the object would burn up in the atmosphere before impacting, but would be visible as a bright daytime fireball if the sky was not badly overcast.^[2]^[7]

A ground-based observational campaign was organized as a possible test for future collision events involving also natural bodies.^[10]

Observations

WT1190F was first discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey, a participant in the Catalina Sky Survey Near-Earth Object surveying program.^[11] The object was identified with an apparent magnitude 19.5 on 18 February 2013, and given the temporary designation UDA34A3, but was lost soon after, with an observation arc of only 5 hours.^[12] However, it was again seen by the same survey on 29 November 2013 and given the designation UW8551D and lost again, only being observed for 1 hour 35 minutes.^[12]

Most recently, it was recovered on 3 October 2015 and given the designation WT1190F. Its orbit was soon calculated and found to be orbiting Earth, but not with the orbit of any known artificial satellite. The object's orbit was soon connected, allowing more observations to be made, and several precovery observations have been found of the object, dating back to June 2009.^[13]

The type of orbit that WT1190F had was not stable long-term. An object in this type of orbit was likely to impact into Earth or the Moon, or acquire enough orbital speed to be ejected into orbit around the Sun.^[14] It was not likely that it had been orbiting Earth for decades.^[14] In 2011 the orbit had an eccentricity of 0.33 and perigee (closest approach to Earth) of 248,000 km (154,000 mi).^[13] It passed about 22,000 km (14,000 mi) from the Moon on 24 May 2012.^[15] By 2013 the eccentricity had increased to 0.70 and the perigee decreased to 105,000 km (65,000 mi).^[12]

Orbital evolution
Epoch	Eccentricity	Inclination	Perigee (km)	Apogee (km)
2011^[13]	0.33	59	248383	495045
2013^[12]	0.70	78	105639	598686
2015^[1]	0.94	3	21221	655374

During WT1190F's orbit, it changed significantly in brightness, from an apparent magnitude 16 at perigee, to magnitude 23 at apogee. It spent most of its time dimmer than magnitude 20.^[1] This, combined with solar pressure acceleration, the Yarkovsky effect, and frequent orbital perturbations by the Moon, made it difficult to precisely predict its orbit and location. About one hour before atmospheric entry, the object had a R magnitude of 13.6,^[16]^[a] roughly the brightness of Pluto.

Impact

WT1190F made atmospheric entry at 11 kilometers per second (25,000 miles per hour).^[17] Whatever was left from the re-entry was calculated to have fallen into the ocean about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Galle, Sri Lanka.^[8] The closest approach to Galle occurred during atmospheric flight when the object had an altitude of 45 km and a distance of 51 km.^[18] For observers in Colombo, Sri Lanka, the object started out^{[clarification needed]} 30 degrees above the horizon coming in from slightly south of due west.^[19] Its mass was not sufficient to cause any risk to the area, but the event still produced a bright fireball. Scientists wanted to study WT1190F to better understand the trajectory and atmospheric entry of satellites, debris, and small asteroids from translunar orbit.^[20]^[8] The International Astronomical Center (IAC) and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency utilized a Gulfstream 450 jet to study the re-entry from above the clouds and haze.^[20] The airborne observation team successfully captured the re-entry on video.^[9]^[21]

Impact approach^[22]
Date	vmag	Distance (km)	Velocity wrt Earth (km/s)^[23]
05	20.8	602399	0.2
08	20.5	524608	0.5
10	20.0	420800	0.8
11	19.6	345999	1.0
12	19.0	246196	1.4
13	17.1	89914	2.8
Impact	~ –6^[24]	0	11.3

Airborne observations

The International Astronomical Center (IAC) and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency observed WT1190F as it fell towards the Earth. The IAC chartered a Gulfstream 450 jet to bring researchers such as Peter Jenniskens to the area of WT1190F's impact, at a high altitude, to view the event over clouds or haze.^[20] The Next TC3 Consortium Asteroid Detection and Early Warning team narrowed the atmospheric entry time to ± 1.3 seconds.^[9]

Observers on the ground could not see the fireball because of rain, but the plane was able to find an opening in the clouds. The fireball was a bright naked eye object. Spectroscopic data was acquired to determine what the object was made of,^[9] and the results published.^[4]^: 9

Notes

^ Even near apparent magnitude ~13.6 it was about 1000 times too faint to be seen by the naked eye. Math: $({\sqrt[{5}]{100}})^{13.6-6}\approx 1000$

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gray, Bill. "Pseudo-MPC for UDA34A3 = UW8551D = WT1190F". Project Pluto. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "WT1190F comes back: ESA NEOCC watching rare reentry". Minor Planet Mailing List. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
^ Peter Birtwhistle
^ ^a ^b Jenniskens, Petrus; et al. (8 January 2016). "Airborne Observations of an Asteroid Entry for High Fidelity Modeling: Space Debris Object WT1190F" (PDF). SETI Institute. San Diego, CA.: AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (SciTech 2016). Retrieved 22 August 2022.
^ Watson, Traci (13 January 2016). "Falling space debris traced to 1998 lunar mission". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19162. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
^ Watson, Traci (23 October 2015). "Incoming space junk a scientific opportunity". Nature News. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Wood, Chris (23 October 2015). "ESA to study rare rocket body reentry to improve predictive models". Gizmag.com. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Reentry data will help improve prediction models". European Space Agency. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Rapid Response to the next Small Asteroid Impact". SETI Institute. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
^ Micheli, Marco; Buzzoni, Alberto; Koschny, Detlef; Drolshagen, Gerhard; Perozzi, Ettore; Hainaut, Olivier; Lemmens, Stijn; Altavilla, Giuseppe; Foppiani, Italo; Nomen, Jaime; Sánchez-Ortiz, Noelia; Marinello, Wladimiro; Pizzetti, Gianpaolo; Soffiantini, Andrea; Fan, Siwei; Fruehm, Carolin (October 2017). "The observing campaign on the deep-space debris WT1190F as a test case for short-warning NEO impacts". Icarus. 304: 4–8. arXiv:1710.07684. Bibcode:2018Icar..304....4M. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.10.006. S2CID 119107218.
^ "Catalina Sky Surveys". NASA. 5 March 2013. Archived from the original on 14 January 2004. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ""Pseudo-MPEC" for UDA34A3 = UW8551D". Project Pluto. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gray, Bill (30 October 2015). "Pseudo-MPEC for UDA34A3 = UW8551D = WT1190F". Project Pluto. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
^ ^a ^b WT1190F FAQs – Bill Gray
^ Gray, Bill (5 November 2015). "Pseudo-MPEC for UDA34A3 = UW8551D = WT1190F". Project Pluto. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
^ "DASO Circular No. 537". Minor Planet Center. 13 November 2015.^{[dead link]}
^ "ESA SPONSORS WT1190F OBSERVATIONS". esa blog. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
^ Gray, Bill (11 November 2015). "Ephemerides for (Gal) Galle, Sri Lanka". Project Pluto. Retrieved 12 November 2015.^{[dead link]}
^ Gray, Bill (13 November 2015). "Ephemerides for (Col) Colombo, Sri Lanka". Project Pluto. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Al-Ashi, Sameh (4 November 2015). "UAE sponsors airborne campaign to observe November 13 entry of space debris WT1190F". IAC. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
^ King, Bob (13 November 2015). "Spectacular Breakup of WT1190F Seen by Airborne Astronomers". Universe Today. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^ The Distant Artificial Satellites Observation Page^{[dead link]}
^ Ephemeris
^ Can you see fireballs in daylight, and will a fireball leave a trail?

External links

A Piece of Cosmic Debris Will Hit Earth on Nov. 13 – Phil Plait
Ephemeris – JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System
WT1190F FAQs – Bill Gray
MP4 video of approximately how the fireball would have looked to the naked eye – Peter Jenniskens
WT1190F – Collection of articles from docslib.org

[naked-17] Even near apparent magnitude ~13.6 it was about 1000 times too faint to be seen by the naked eye. Math: $({\sqrt[{5}]{100}})^{13.6-6}\approx 1000$

[orbitandobs-1] Gray, Bill. "Pseudo-MPC for UDA34A3 = UW8551D = WT1190F". Project Pluto. Retrieved 23 October 2015.

[mpmlinfo-2] "WT1190F comes back: ESA NEOCC watching rare reentry". Minor Planet Mailing List. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.

[3] Peter Birtwhistle

[Jenniskens-4] Jenniskens, Petrus; et al. (8 January 2016). "Airborne Observations of an Asteroid Entry for High Fidelity Modeling: Space Debris Object WT1190F" (PDF). SETI Institute. San Diego, CA.: AIAA Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (SciTech 2016). Retrieved 22 August 2022.

[5] Watson, Traci (13 January 2016). "Falling space debris traced to 1998 lunar mission". Nature. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.19162. Retrieved 18 January 2015.

[space_junk-6] Watson, Traci (23 October 2015). "Incoming space junk a scientific opportunity". Nature News. Retrieved 29 October 2015.

[Gizmag1023-7] Wood, Chris (23 October 2015). "ESA to study rare rocket body reentry to improve predictive models". Gizmag.com. Retrieved 27 October 2015.

[ESA_prediction-8] "Reentry data will help improve prediction models". European Space Agency. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

[SETI-9] "Rapid Response to the next Small Asteroid Impact". SETI Institute. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

[Icarus2017-10] Micheli, Marco; Buzzoni, Alberto; Koschny, Detlef; Drolshagen, Gerhard; Perozzi, Ettore; Hainaut, Olivier; Lemmens, Stijn; Altavilla, Giuseppe; Foppiani, Italo; Nomen, Jaime; Sánchez-Ortiz, Noelia; Marinello, Wladimiro; Pizzetti, Gianpaolo; Soffiantini, Andrea; Fan, Siwei; Fruehm, Carolin (October 2017). "The observing campaign on the deep-space debris WT1190F as a test case for short-warning NEO impacts". Icarus. 304: 4–8. arXiv:1710.07684. Bibcode:2018Icar..304....4M. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.10.006. S2CID 119107218.

[11] "Catalina Sky Surveys". NASA. 5 March 2013. Archived from the original on 14 January 2004. Retrieved 27 October 2015.

[initialtracking-12] ""Pseudo-MPEC" for UDA34A3 = UW8551D". Project Pluto. Retrieved 27 October 2015.

[epoch2011-13] Gray, Bill (30 October 2015). "Pseudo-MPEC for UDA34A3 = UW8551D = WT1190F". Project Pluto. Retrieved 8 November 2015.

[FAQ-14] WT1190F FAQs – Bill Gray

[mpec_all-15] Gray, Bill (5 November 2015). "Pseudo-MPEC for UDA34A3 = UW8551D = WT1190F". Project Pluto. Retrieved 8 November 2015.

[DASO537-16] "DASO Circular No. 537". Minor Planet Center. 13 November 2015.^{[dead link]}

[esa20151030-18] "ESA SPONSORS WT1190F OBSERVATIONS". esa blog. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

[mpec_gal-19] Gray, Bill (11 November 2015). "Ephemerides for (Gal) Galle, Sri Lanka". Project Pluto. Retrieved 12 November 2015.^{[dead link]}

[mpec7-20] Gray, Bill (13 November 2015). "Ephemerides for (Col) Colombo, Sri Lanka". Project Pluto. Retrieved 12 November 2015.

[UAE-21] Al-Ashi, Sameh (4 November 2015). "UAE sponsors airborne campaign to observe November 13 entry of space debris WT1190F". IAC. Retrieved 8 November 2015.

[UT20151113-22] King, Bob (13 November 2015). "Spectacular Breakup of WT1190F Seen by Airborne Astronomers". Universe Today. Retrieved 13 November 2015.

[23] The Distant Artificial Satellites Observation Page^{[dead link]}

[24] Ephemeris

[25] Can you see fireballs in daylight, and will a fireball leave a trail?

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Small temporary satellite of Earth that impacted in 2015}}
 {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
 {{Infobox planet
@@ Line 4: / Line 5: @@
 | caption = WT1190F entering the atmosphere over Sri Lanka, viewed by the airborne observation team
 | name = WT1190F
-| discoverer = [[Mount Lemmon Survey]] (G96),<br>Mount Lemmon Survey (G96),<br>[[Catalina Sky Survey]] (703)
+| discoverer = {{Ubl
+ | [[Mount Lemmon Survey]] (G96)
+ | [[Catalina Sky Survey]] (703)
+ }}
-| discovered = 2009/10/26<br>2013/02/18<br>2013/11/29<br>2015/10/03
+| discovered = {{Ubl
+ | 26 October 2009
+ | 18 February 2013
+ | 29 November 2013
+ | 3 October 2015
+ }}
+| alt_names = {{Hlist
+ | 9U01FF6
+ | UDA34A3
+ | UW8551D
+ }}
 | mp_category = Distant artificial satellite (before Jun 2009 to 13 November 2015)
-| orbit_ref = <ref name=orbitandobs>{{cite web|last1=Gray|first1=Bill|title=Pseudo-MPC for UDA34A3 = UW8551D = WT1190F|url=http://projectpluto.com/temp/mpec9.htm|website=Project Pluto|accessdate=23 October 2015}}</ref>
+| orbit_ref = <ref name=orbitandobs>{{cite web|last1=Gray|first1=Bill|title=Pseudo-MPC for UDA34A3 = UW8551D = WT1190F|url=http://projectpluto.com/temp/mpec9.htm|website=Project Pluto|access-date=23 October 2015}}</ref>
-| epoch = 2015-Oct-03 ([[Julian day|JD]] 2457298.5)
+| epoch = 3 October 2015 ([[Julian day|JD]]&nbsp;2457298.5)
-| periapsis = {{convert|21222|km|mi|abbr=on}} (0.055 [[Lunar distance (astronomy)|LD]], 3.33 [[Earth radius|ER]])
+| periapsis = {{convert|21222|km|mi|abbr=on}} (0.055&nbsp;[[Lunar distance (astronomy)|LD]]; 3.33&nbsp;[[Earth radius|ER]])
-| apoapsis = {{convert|655374|km|mi|abbr=on}} (1.704 LD, 102.75 ER)
+| apoapsis = {{convert|655374|km|mi|abbr=on}} (1.704&nbsp;LD, 102.75&nbsp;ER)
-| semimajor = {{convert|338298|km|mi|abbr=on}} (0.880 LD, 53.04 ER)
+| semimajor = {{convert|338298|km|mi|abbr=on}} (0.880&nbsp;LD, 53.04&nbsp;ER)
 | eccentricity = 0.937269
 | period = 22.66 days
@@ Line 17: / Line 31: @@
 | inclination = 3.197°
 | asc_node = 311.556°
-| time_periastron = 2015/10/02 14:39:00
+| time_periastron = 2 October 2015 14:39:00 [[Universal Time|UT]]
 | arg_peri = 314.044°
-| avg_speed = 1.1 km/s @ 0.00226AU
+| avg_speed = 1.1&nbsp;km/s @ 0.00226&nbsp;AU
 | satellite_of = [[Earth]]
 | dimensions = {{convert|0.7|to|2|m|ft|sp=us|sigfig=1}}
-| density = ~{{convert|100|kg/m3|lb/ft3|abbr=on|sigfig=1}}<ref name=mpmlinfo>{{cite web|title=WT1190F comes back: ESA NEOCC watching rare reentry|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mpml/conversations/topics/31398|website=Minor Planet Mailing List|accessdate=24 October 2015}}</ref>
+| density = ~{{cvt|100|kg/m3|g/cm3|disp=out}}<ref name=mpmlinfo>{{cite web|title=WT1190F comes back: ESA NEOCC watching rare reentry|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mpml/conversations/topics/31398|archive-url=https://archive.today/20151026202327/https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/mpml/conversations/topics/31398|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 October 2015|website=Minor Planet Mailing List|access-date=24 October 2015}}</ref>
 | mass = {{convert|250|to|2000|kg|lb|sigfig=2}}
 | albedo = >0.1
@@ Line 28: / Line 42: @@
 | abs_magnitude = 31.3
 | rotation = 0.75 seconds<ref>[http://www.birtwhistle.org.uk/images/WT1190F_20151113_053428_20_2x2_1A.jpg Peter Birtwhistle]</ref>
+|background=#FFC2E0}}
-}}
+'''WT1190F''' ('''9U01FF6''', '''UDA34A3''', or '''UW8551D''') was a small temporary [[satellite]] of Earth that impacted Earth on 13 November 2015 at 06:18:21.7 (±&nbsp;0.1 seconds) [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]].<ref name= Jenniskens >{{cite web |url=http://impact.seti.org/WT1190F-AIAASciTech2016-AIAA-2016-0999.pdf |title=Airborne Observations of an Asteroid Entry for High Fidelity Modeling: Space Debris Object WT1190F |last=Jenniskens |first=Petrus |display-authors=etal |date=8 January 2016 |website=SETI Institute |publisher=[[AIAA]] Science and Technology Forum and Exposition (SciTech 2016) |location=San Diego, CA. |access-date=22 August 2022}}</ref>{{rp|pp=7-8}} It is thought to have been [[space debris]] from the [[trans-lunar injection]] stage of the 1998 [[Lunar Prospector]] mission.<ref>{{cite news |last=Watson |first=Traci |date=13 January 2016|title=Falling space debris traced to 1998 lunar mission |doi=10.1038/nature.2016.19162|url=http://www.nature.com/news/falling-space-debris-traced-to-1998-lunar-mission-1.19162|newspaper=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|access-date=18 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="space junk">{{cite news |last=Watson |first=Traci |url=http://www.nature.com/news/incoming-space-junk-a-scientific-opportunity-1.18642 |title=Incoming space junk a scientific opportunity |work=Nature News |date=23 October 2015 |access-date=2015-10-29 }}</ref> It was first discovered on 18 February 2013 by the [[Catalina Sky Survey]].<ref name="mpmlinfo"/><ref name="Gizmag1023">{{cite news |last=Wood |first=Chris |url=http://www.gizmag.com/esa-rocket-reentry-observations/40021/ |title=ESA to study rare rocket body reentry to improve predictive models |work=Gizmag.com |date=2015-10-23 |access-date=2015-10-27 }}</ref> It was then lost, and reacquired on 29 November 2013. It was again discovered on 3 October 2015 by astronomer Rose Garcia with the Catalina Sky Survey 60-inch telescope, and the object was soon identified to be the same as the two objects previously sighted by the team, who have been sharing their data through the [[International Astronomical Union]]'s [[Minor Planet Center]] (MPC).<ref name="ESA prediction">{{Cite web|title = Reentry data will help improve prediction models|url = https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Reentry_data_will_help_improve_prediction_models|website = European Space Agency|access-date = 2015-11-02}}</ref> An early orbit calculation showed that it was orbiting Earth in an extremely elliptical orbit, taking it from within the [[Geosynchronous orbit|geosynchronous satellite ring]] to nearly twice the distance of the Moon.<ref name="orbitandobs"/> It was also probably the same object as 9U01FF6, another object on a similar orbit discovered on 26 October 2009.
-'''WT1190F''' ('''9U01FF6''', '''UDA34A3''', or '''UW8551D''') was a small temporary satellite of Earth that impacted Earth on 13 November 2015 at 06:18:34.3 (±1.3 seconds) [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]].<ref name="SETI"/> It is thought to have been [[space debris]] from the [[trans-lunar injection]] stage of the 1998 [[Lunar Prospector]] mission.<ref>{{cite news |last=Watson |first=Traci |date=13 January 2016|title=Falling space debris traced to 1998 lunar mission |doi=10.1038/nature.2016.19162|url=http://www.nature.com/news/falling-space-debris-traced-to-1998-lunar-mission-1.19162|newspaper=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|location= |access-date=18 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="space junk">{{cite news |last=Watson |first=Traci |url=http://www.nature.com/news/incoming-space-junk-a-scientific-opportunity-1.18642 |title=Incoming space junk a —scientific opportunity |work=Nature News |date=23 October 2015 |accessdate=2015-10-29 }}</ref> It was first discovered on 18 February 2013 by the [[Catalina Sky Survey]].<ref name="mpmlinfo"/><ref name="Gizmag1023">{{cite news |last=Wood |first=Chris |url=http://www.gizmag.com/esa-rocket-reentry-observations/40021/ |title=ESA to study rare rocket body reentry to improve predictive models |work=Gizmag.com |date=2015-10-23 |accessdate=2015-10-27 }}</ref> It was then lost, and reacquired on 29 November 2013. It was again discovered on 3 October 2015, and the object was soon identified to be the same as the two objects previously sighted by the team, who have been sharing their data through the [[International Astronomical Union]]'s [[Minor Planet Center]] (MPC).<ref name="ESA prediction">{{Cite web|title = Reentry data will help improve prediction models|url = http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Space_Situational_Awareness/Reentry_data_will_help_improve_prediction_models|website = European Space Agency|accessdate = 2015-11-02}}</ref> An early orbit calculation showed that it was orbiting Earth in an extremely elliptical orbit, taking it from within the [[Geosynchronous orbit|geosynchronous satellite ring]] to nearly twice the distance of the Moon.<ref name="orbitandobs"/> It was also probably the same object as 9U01FF6, another object on a similar orbit discovered on 26 October 2009.
-WT1190F had been orbiting Earth as a temporary satellite (named '''UWAIS''') since mid-2009, if not longer. While it has not been positively identified with any known artificial satellites, its estimated density of 0.1 g/cm³ was much lower than would be expected of a natural object as even water has a density of 1 g/cm³.  Hence, [[European Space Agency]] astronomers have concluded that the object was likely a fuel tank of some sort.<ref name="mpmlinfo"/><ref name="Gizmag1023"/>
+WT1190F had been orbiting Earth as a temporary satellite (named '''UWAIS''') since mid-2009, if not longer. While it has not been positively identified with any known artificial satellites, its estimated density of 0.1&nbsp;g/cm<sup>3</sup> was much lower than would be expected of a natural object as even water has a density of 1&nbsp;g/cm<sup>3</sup>.  Hence, [[European Space Agency]] astronomers have concluded that the object was likely a fuel tank of some sort.<ref name="mpmlinfo"/><ref name="Gizmag1023"/>
-After more observations, astronomers determined that the object would impact the Earth on 13 November 2015 at 06:18 UTC (11:48 local time),<ref name="SETI"/> south of [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name="mpmlinfo"/><ref name="Gizmag1023"/> Due to its small size, it was expected that most or all of the object would burn up in the atmosphere before impacting, but would be visible as a bright daytime [[Meteoroid#Fireball|fireball]] if the sky was not badly [[overcast]].<ref name="mpmlinfo"/><ref name="Gizmag1023"/>
+After more observations, astronomers determined that the object would impact Earth on 13 November 2015 at 06:18 UTC (11:48 local time),<ref name="SETI"/> south of [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name="mpmlinfo"/><ref name="Gizmag1023"/> Due to its small size, it was expected that most or all of the object would burn up in the atmosphere before impacting, but would be visible as a bright daytime [[Meteoroid#Fireball|fireball]] if the sky was not badly [[overcast]].<ref name="mpmlinfo"/><ref name="Gizmag1023"/>
-A ground-based observational campaign was organized as a possible test for future collision events involving also natural bodies.<ref name="Icarus2017">{{cite journal |last=Micheli|first=Marco|last2=Buzzoni|first2=Alberto|last3=Koschny|first3=Detlef|last4=Drolshagen|first4=Gerhard|last5=Perozzi|first5=Ettore|last6=Hainaut|first6=Olivier|last7= Lemmens|first7=Stijn|last8=Altavilla|first8=Giuseppe|last9=Foppiani|first9=Italo
+A ground-based observational campaign was organized as a possible test for future collision events involving also natural bodies.<ref name="Icarus2017">{{cite journal |last1=Micheli|first1=Marco|last2=Buzzoni|first2=Alberto|last3=Koschny|first3=Detlef|last4=Drolshagen|first4=Gerhard|last5=Perozzi|first5=Ettore|last6=Hainaut|first6=Olivier|last7= Lemmens|first7=Stijn|last8=Altavilla|first8=Giuseppe|last9=Foppiani|first9=Italo
 |last10=Nomen|first10=Jaime|last11=Sánchez-Ortiz|first11=Noelia|last12=Marinello|first12=Wladimiro|last13=Pizzetti|first13=Gianpaolo
 |last14=Soffiantini|first14=Andrea|last15=Fan|first15=Siwei|last16=Fruehm|first16=Carolin
-|date= October 2017|title= The observing campaign on the deep-space debris WT1190F as a test case for short-warning NEO impacts |doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2017.10.006|journal=[[Icarus (journal)|Icarus]] |volume=304|pages=4–8|arxiv=1710.07684|bibcode=2018Icar..304....4M}}</ref>
+|date= October 2017|title= The observing campaign on the deep-space debris WT1190F as a test case for short-warning NEO impacts |doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2017.10.006|journal=[[Icarus (journal)|Icarus]] |volume=304|pages=4–8|arxiv=1710.07684|bibcode=2018Icar..304....4M|s2cid=119107218 }}</ref>
 ==Observations==
 [[File:Object WT1190F.gif|thumb|left|Bright object in the center is WT1190F as observed by the University of Hawaii 2.2-meter telescope.]]
-WT1190F was first discovered by the [[Mount Lemmon Survey]], a participant in the [[Catalina Sky Survey]] [[Near-Earth Object]] surveying program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/programs/catalina.html |title=Catalina Sky Surveys |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=2013-03-05 |accessdate=2015-10-27 }}</ref>  The object was identified with an [[apparent magnitude]] 19.5 on 18 February 2013, and given the temporary designation UDA34A3, but was lost soon after, with an [[observation arc]] of only 5 hours.<ref name="initialtracking">{{cite web|title="Pseudo-MPEC" for UDA34A3 = UW8551D|url=http://www.projectpluto.com/pluto/mpecs/uda.htm|website=Project Pluto|accessdate=27 October 2015}}</ref> However, it was again seen by the same survey on 29 November 2013 and given the designation UW8551D and lost again, only being observed for 1 hour 35 minutes.<ref name="initialtracking" />
+WT1190F was first discovered by the [[Mount Lemmon Survey]], a participant in the [[Catalina Sky Survey]] [[Near-Earth Object]] surveying program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/programs/catalina.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040114170842/http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/programs/catalina.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2004-01-14 |title=Catalina Sky Surveys |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=2013-03-05 |access-date=2015-10-27 }}</ref>  The object was identified with an [[apparent magnitude]] 19.5 on 18 February 2013, and given the temporary designation UDA34A3, but was lost soon after, with an [[observation arc]] of only 5 hours.<ref name="initialtracking">{{cite web|title="Pseudo-MPEC" for UDA34A3 = UW8551D|url=http://www.projectpluto.com/pluto/mpecs/uda.htm|website=Project Pluto|access-date=27 October 2015}}</ref> However, it was again seen by the same survey on 29 November 2013 and given the designation UW8551D and lost again, only being observed for 1 hour 35 minutes.<ref name="initialtracking" />
 Most recently, it was recovered on 3 October 2015 and given the designation WT1190F. Its orbit was soon calculated and found to be orbiting Earth, but not with the orbit of any known artificial satellite. The object's orbit was soon connected, allowing more observations to be made, and several [[precovery]] observations have been found of the object, dating back to June 2009.<ref name=epoch2011/>
@@ Line 54: / Line 67: @@
 ! [[Orbital eccentricity|Eccentricity]]
 ! [[Orbital inclination|Inclination]]
-! [[Perigee]]<br>(km)
+! [[Perigee]]<br />(km)
-! [[Apogee]]<br>(km)
+! [[Apogee]]<br />(km)
 |-
 | 2011<ref name=epoch2011/> || 0.33 || 59 || 248383 || 495045
@@ Line 61: / Line 74: @@
 | 2013<ref name="initialtracking"/> || 0.70 || 78 || 105639 || 598686
 |-
-| 2015<ref name=orbitandobs/> || 0.94 ||  3 || 21221 || 655374
+| 2015<ref name=orbitandobs/> || 0.94 || 3 || 21221 || 655374
 |}
@@ Line 67: / Line 80: @@
 === Impact ===
-WT1190F made [[atmospheric entry]] at {{convert|11|km/s|mph|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref name="esa20151030"/> Whatever was left from the re-entry was calculated to have fallen into the ocean about {{convert|100|km|mi}} from [[Galle]], [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name="ESA prediction"/> The closest approach to Galle occurred during atmospheric flight when the object had an altitude of 45{{Spaces}}km and a distance of 51{{Spaces}}km.<ref name=mpec_gal/> For observers in [[Colombo]], Sri Lanka, the object started out 30 degrees above the horizon coming in from slightly south of due west.<ref name=mpec7/> Its mass was not sufficient to cause any risk to the area, but the event still produced a bright fireball. Scientists wanted to study WT1190F to better understand the trajectory and atmospheric entry of satellites, debris, and small asteroids from translunar orbit.<ref name=UAE>{{cite web|last1=Al-Ashi|first1=Sameh|title=UAE sponsors airborne campaign to observe November 13 entry of space debris WT1190F|url=http://www.astronomycenter.net/events/2015/11/03/wt1190f?l=en|website=IAC|date=4 November 2015|accessdate=8 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="ESA prediction"/> The International Astronomical Center (IAC) and the [[United Arab Emirates Space Agency]] utilized a [[Gulfstream 450]] jet to study the re-entry from above the clouds and haze.<ref name=UAE/> The airborne observation team successfully captured the re-entry on video.<ref name="SETI"/><ref name=UT20151113>{{cite web|last1=King|first1=Bob|title=Spectacular Breakup of WT1190F Seen by Airborne Astronomers|url=http://www.universetoday.com/123400/spectacular-breakup-of-wt1190f-seen-by-airborne-astronomers/|website=[[Universe Today]]|date=13 November 2015|accessdate=13 November 2015}}</ref>
+WT1190F made [[atmospheric entry]] at {{convert|11|km/s|mph|abbr=off|sp=us}}.<ref name="esa20151030"/> Whatever was left from the re-entry was calculated to have fallen into the ocean about {{convert|100|km|mi}} from [[Galle]], [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name="ESA prediction"/> The closest approach to Galle occurred during atmospheric flight when the object had an altitude of 45{{Spaces}}km and a distance of 51{{Spaces}}km.<ref name=mpec_gal/> For observers in [[Colombo]], Sri Lanka, the object started out{{Clarify|date=November 2019}} 30 degrees above the horizon coming in from slightly south of due west.<ref name=mpec7/> Its mass was not sufficient to cause any risk to the area, but the event still produced a bright fireball. Scientists wanted to study WT1190F to better understand the trajectory and atmospheric entry of satellites, debris, and small asteroids from translunar orbit.<ref name=UAE>{{cite web|last1=Al-Ashi|first1=Sameh|title=UAE sponsors airborne campaign to observe November 13 entry of space debris WT1190F|url=http://www.astronomycenter.net/events/2015/11/03/wt1190f?l=en|website=IAC|date=4 November 2015|access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="ESA prediction"/> The International Astronomical Center (IAC) and the [[United Arab Emirates Space Agency]] utilized a [[Gulfstream 450]] jet to study the re-entry from above the clouds and haze.<ref name=UAE/> The airborne observation team successfully captured the re-entry on video.<ref name="SETI"/><ref name=UT20151113>{{cite web|last1=King|first1=Bob|title=Spectacular Breakup of WT1190F Seen by Airborne Astronomers|url=http://www.universetoday.com/123400/spectacular-breakup-of-wt1190f-seen-by-airborne-astronomers/|website=[[Universe Today]]|date=13 November 2015|access-date=13 November 2015}}</ref>
 {| class="wikitable sortable right" style="margin-left: 12px; text-align:center;"
-|+ Impact approach<ref>[http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/artsats/artsats.html The Distant Artificial Satellites Observation Page]</ref>
+|+ Impact approach<ref>[http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/artsats/artsats.html The Distant Artificial Satellites Observation Page]{{dead link|date=January 2023}}</ref>
 ! Date
 ! [[apparent magnitude|vmag]]
-! Distance<br>(km)
+! Distance<br />(km)
-! Velocity<br>wrt Earth<br>(km/s)<ref>[http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&sstr=WT1190F Ephemeris] (VmagOb value "Table setting #22")</ref>
+! Velocity<br />wrt Earth<br />(km/s)<ref>[https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons/app.html#/ Ephemeris]</ref>
 |-
 | 05 || 20.8 || 602399 || 0.2
@@ Line 94: / Line 107: @@
 [[File:G450 Wt1190f 1.jpg|thumb|left|Gulfstream 450 business jet rented for the mission]]
-The International Astronomical Center (IAC) and the [[United Arab Emirates Space Agency]] observed WT1190F as it fell towards the Earth. The IAC chartered a [[Gulfstream 450]] jet to bring researchers such as [[Peter Jenniskens]] to the area of WT1190F's impact, at a high altitude, to view the event over clouds or haze.<ref name=UAE/> The Next TC3 Consortium Asteroid Detection and Early Warning team narrowed the atmospheric entry time to ±1.3 seconds.<ref name="SETI"/>
+The International Astronomical Center (IAC) and the [[United Arab Emirates Space Agency]] observed WT1190F as it fell towards the Earth. The IAC chartered a [[Gulfstream 450]] jet to bring researchers such as [[Peter Jenniskens]] to the area of WT1190F's impact, at a high altitude, to view the event over clouds or haze.<ref name=UAE/> The Next TC3 Consortium Asteroid Detection and Early Warning team narrowed the atmospheric entry time to ±&nbsp;1.3 seconds.<ref name="SETI"/>
-Observers on the ground could not see the fireball because of rain, but the plane was able to find an opening in the clouds.<ref name="SETI"/> The fireball was a bright [[naked eye]] object.<ref name="SETI"/> [[Astronomical spectroscopy|Spectroscopic]] data was acquired that will help determine what the object was made of.<ref name="SETI"/>
+Observers on the ground could not see the fireball because of rain, but the plane was able to find an opening in the clouds. The fireball was a bright [[naked eye]] object. [[Astronomical spectroscopy|Spectroscopic]] data was acquired to determine what the object was made of,<ref name="SETI"/> and the results published.{{r|Jenniskens|p=9}}
 {{clear}}
@@ Line 102: / Line 115: @@
 *[[List of reentering space debris]]
-===Previous impacts by known objects===
+===Impacts by known objects===
-*[[2008 TC3]]
+*[[2008 TC3|2008 TC<sub>3</sub>]]
 *[[2014 AA]]
 *[[2018 LA]]
+*[[2019 MO]]
 ===Previous temporary satellites===
@@ Line 119: / Line 133: @@
 | refs =
-<ref name=FAQ>[http://projectpluto.com/temp/wt1190f.htm WT1190F FAQs] – Bill Gray</ref>
+<ref name=FAQ>[http://projectpluto.com/temp/wt1190f.htm WT1190F FAQs]{{Snd}} Bill Gray</ref>
 <ref name=epoch2011>{{cite web
@@ Line 127: / Line 141: @@
 |website=Project Pluto
 |date=30 October 2015
-|accessdate=8 November 2015}}</ref>
+|access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref>
 <ref name=mpec_all>{{cite web
@@ Line 135: / Line 149: @@
 |website=Project Pluto
 |date=5 November 2015
-|accessdate=8 November 2015}}</ref>
+|access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref>
 <ref name="esa20151030">{{cite web
-  |title=ESA SPONSORS WT1190F OBSERVATIONS
+|title=ESA SPONSORS WT1190F OBSERVATIONS
-  |publisher=esa blog
+|publisher=esa blog
-  |url=http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2015/10/30/esa-sponsors-wt1190f-observations/
+|url=http://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2015/10/30/esa-sponsors-wt1190f-observations/
-  |date=30 October 2015
+|date=30 October 2015
-  |accessdate=2015-11-10}}</ref>
+|access-date=2015-11-10}}</ref>
 <ref name="SETI">{{cite web
-  |title=Rapid Response to the next TC3 Consortium
+|title=Rapid Response to the next Small Asteroid Impact
-  |publisher=[[SETI Institute]]
+|publisher=[[SETI Institute]]
-  |url=http://impact.seti.org/
+|url=http://impact.seti.org/
-  |accessdate=2015-11-10}}</ref>
+|access-date=2015-11-10}}</ref>
 <ref name=mpec_gal>{{cite web
@@ Line 156: / Line 170: @@
 |website=Project Pluto
 |date=11 November 2015
-|accessdate=12 November 2015}}</ref>
+|access-date=12 November 2015}}{{dead link|date=January 2023}}
+</ref>
 <ref name=mpec7>{{cite web
@@ Line 164: / Line 179: @@
 |website=Project Pluto
 |date=13 November 2015
-|accessdate=12 November 2015}}</ref>
+|access-date=12 November 2015}}</ref>
 <ref name="DASO537">{{cite web
-  |title=DASO Circular No. 537
+|title=DASO Circular No. 537
-  |publisher=[[Minor Planet Center]]
+|publisher=[[Minor Planet Center]]
-  |date=13 November 2015
+|date=13 November 2015
-  |url=http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/DASO/000000/DASO_000537.txt}}</ref>
+|url=http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/DASO/000000/DASO_000537.txt}}{{dead link|date=January 2023}}</ref>
 }}
@@ Line 176: / Line 191: @@
 ==External links==
 {{wikimedia|collapsible=true|wikt=no|b=no|d=Q21210774|v=no|voy=no|s=no|q=no|n=no|c=Category:WT1190F}}
-* [http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/10/27/wt1190f_rocket_booster_will_re_enter_on_november_13_2015.html A Piece of Cosmic Debris Will Hit Earth on Nov. 13] – [[Phil Plait]]
+* [http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2015/10/27/wt1190f_rocket_booster_will_re_enter_on_november_13_2015.html A Piece of Cosmic Debris Will Hit Earth on Nov. 13]{{Snd}} [[Phil Plait]]
+* [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&sstr=WT1190F Ephemeris]{{Snd}} [[JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System]]
-* [http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/artsats/artsats.html The Distant Artificial Satellites Observation Page] – [[Minor Planet Center]]
+* [http://projectpluto.com/temp/wt1190f.htm WT1190F FAQs]{{Snd}} Bill Gray
-* [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&sstr=WT1190F Ephemeris] – [[JPL Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System]]
+* [http://impact.seti.org/WT1190F-widefield-Jenniskens.mp4 MP4 video of approximately how the fireball would have looked to the naked eye]{{Snd}} [[Peter Jenniskens]]
-* [http://projectpluto.com/temp/wt1190f.htm WT1190F FAQs] – Bill Gray
+* [https://docslib.org/tags/WT1190F/ WT1190F]{{Snd}} Collection of articles from docslib.org
-* [http://impact.seti.org/WT1190F-widefield-Jenniskens.mp4 MP4 video of approximately how the fireball would have looked to the naked eye] – [[Peter Jenniskens]]
 {{2015 in space}}
@@ Line 191: / Line 206: @@
 [[Category:Modern Earth impact events]]
 [[Category:2015 in Sri Lanka|20151113]]
-[[Category:2015 in space|20151113]]
+[[Category:2015 in outer space|20151113]]
 [[Category:November 2015 events]]
+[[Category:Predicted impact events]]

Latest revision as of 22:20, 29 July 2024

Observations

Impact

Airborne observations

See also

Impacts by known objects

Previous temporary satellites

Notes

References

External links