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Appulses between asteroids
We have processed the data from the Minor Planet Centre looking for close approaches between any of the first 25,000 objects (and also including 134340 Pluto). The following table lists approaches closer than 0.3° for which both objects are brighter than magnitude 15 and which have an elongation of at least 120° from the Sun.
The selection criteria are wider than previously. This has been agreed with the Asteroid and Remote Planets Section. Their web site will give more details of planned projects based on some of these appulses.
Photographers may be pleased to get 2 trails for the price of one. There could be scientific value in comparing the magnitudes and colours of the pair of objects as they move (and tumble) along. Being so close, the light from both will suffer almost identical atmospheric and optical effects and so should be comparable. Cases where the brightnesses differ by more than a factor of 10 (magnitude difference greater than 2.5) are not likely to yield useful results.
NB: Data are given for 0h on each date. The objects may pass closer.
The W (window) column shows the number of days for which the separation is less than 0.3°. This gives some clue as to how the orbits lie in relation to each other.
| Date + chart link | JD | Sep ° | W d | Sun elong ° | ------Names------ | Mag | RA J2000 | Dec J2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 2021-03-11 | 2459284.5 | 0.03 | 12 | 113 | 37 Fides 397 Vienna | 12.7 14.9 | 15h39m18.07s 15h39m25.97s | -21d34m40.8s -21d34m56.5s |
 2021-03-17 | 2459290.5 | 0.12 | 11 | 120 | 389 Industria 1086 Nata | 12.1 15.1 | 15h23m22.48s 15h23m26.34s | -29d09m05.9s -29d16m23.6s |
 2021-03-27 | 2459300.5 | 0.03 | 3 | 128 | 37 Fides 6914 Becquerel | 12.5 16.0 | 15h38m48.86s 15h38m51.12s | -21d53m32.3s -21d51m59.3s |
