524522 Zoozve
6 days ago
- #astronomy
- #asteroid
- #quasi-satellite
- 524522 Zoozve is a sub-kilometer sized asteroid and temporary quasi-satellite of Venus.
- Discovered in 2002 by Brian A. Skiff at Lowell Observatory, it was the first quasi-satellite discovered around a major planet in the Solar System.
- Zoozve has a semi-major axis similar to Venus but with a high eccentricity (0.4104) and significant orbital inclination (9.0060°).
- It is an X-type asteroid with an assumed albedo of 0.25, measuring approximately 236 meters in diameter and rotating every 13.5 hours.
- Zoozve is trapped in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with Venus, appearing to orbit the planet but actually orbiting the Sun.
- It has been co-orbital with Venus for about 7,000 years and is expected to be ejected in about 500 years, becoming a Venus trojan.
- Zoozve is classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA) due to its frequent close approaches to Earth, with a periodicity of 8 years.
- The asteroid was officially named 'Zoozve' in 2024 after a Radiolab episode highlighted its provisional designation misinterpretation.
- Numerical simulations suggest Zoozve poses no immediate collision threat to Earth, though dangerously close approaches are possible.