2005 NB56, also written as 2005 NB56, is a near-Earth asteroid of the Apollo group.[2] In 2009, research physicist Edward Drobyshevski and colleagues have suggested that 2005 NB56 could be a possible source of the meteoroid that caused the Tunguska event on 30 June 1908. It has been also suspected to be a dormant comet.[4]
Possible source of the Tunguska event bolide
One study "suggests that a chunk of a comet caused the 5-10 megaton fireball, bouncing off the atmosphere and back into orbit around the sun."[4]
This object made a close approach to Earth when it was discovered in 2005 and will do so again in 2045.[5] This object has a poorly known orbit and was only observed over an observation arc of 17 days, not sufficient to predict its position in 1908 with sufficient accuracy.[2]
References
- ^ a b "2005 NB56". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d "(2005 NB56)". JPL Small-Body Database. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. SPK-ID: 3283898. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ Drobyshevski, E. M.; Galushina, T. Yu; Drobyshevski, M. E. (March 2009). "A search for a present-day candidate for the Comet P/Tunguska-1908". arXiv:0903.3313 [astro-ph.EP].
- ^ a b When Comets Attack: Solving the Mystery of the Biggest Natural Explosion in Modern History, By Mark Anderson, Popular Mechanics
- ^ "NEODyS: 2005NB56". Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, ITALY. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
External links
- 2005 NB56 at the JPL Small-Body Database
- Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters
