# (164121) 2003 YT1

(164121) 2003 YT$_1$, provisional designation 2003 YT$_1$, is a bright asteroid and synchronous binary system on a highly eccentric orbit, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 18 December 2003, by astronomers with the Catalina Sky Survey at the Catalina Station near Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. The V-type asteroid has a short rotation period of 2.3 hours. Its 210-meter sized minor-planet moon was discovered at Arecibo Observatory in May 2004.

## Orbit and classification

2003 YT$_1$ is a member of the Earth-crossing group of Apollo asteroids, the largest group of near-Earth objects with approximately 10 thousand known members.
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.8–1.4 AU once every 1 years and 2 months (427 days; semi-major axis of 1.11 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.29 and an inclination of 44° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at the Siding Spring Observatory in November 1989, more than 14 years prior to its official discovery observation at Catalina.

### Close approaches and Torino rating

The asteroid has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0027 AU (404,000 km; 251,000 mi), which corresponds to 1.05 lunar distances and makes it a potentially hazardous asteroid due to its sufficiently large size. On the Torino Scale, this object was rated level 1 on 27 December 2003 with an observation arc of 8.7 days. It was removed from the risk table on 29 December 2003. Over the next ten million years the asteroid has a 6% chance of impacting Earth.
On 30 April 2004 it made a close approach at a nominal distance of 0.073 AU (28 LD), and on 31 October 2016, it passed Earth at 0.035 AU (14 LD). The asteroid's closest encounter with Earth will be on 29 April 2073, when it is projected to pass at 0.0113 AU (4.4 LD) only (see table).
2003 YT$_1$ has unique orbital characteristics among minor planets. It is the only known binary asteroid to have an Earth MOID within the Moon's Apogee.
Earth Approach on 3 November 2023 :
| Date | JPL Horizons nominal geocentric distance (AU) | uncertainty region (3-sigma) |
| 2023-Nov-03 12:33 | 0.05936 AU (8.880 million km) | ±18 km |
* v
* t
* e
| PHA | Date | Approach distance (lunar dist.) | Approach distance (lunar dist.) | Approach distance (lunar dist.) | Abs. mag (H) | Diameter $^{(C)}$ (m) | Ref $^{(D)}$ |
| PHA | Date | Nomi- nal$^{(B)}$ | Mini- mum | Maxi- mum | Abs. mag (H) | Diameter $^{(C)}$ (m) | Ref $^{(D)}$ |
| (33342) 1998 WT24 | 1908-12-16 | 3.542 | 3.537 | 3.547 | 17.9 | 556–1795 | data |
| (458732) 2011 MD5 | 1918-09-17 | 0.911 | 0.909 | 0.913 | 17.9 | 556–1795 | data |
| (7482) 1994 PC1 | 1933-01-17 | 2.927 | 2.927 | 2.928 | 16.8 | 749–1357 | data |
| 69230 Hermes | 1937-10-30 | 1.926 | 1.926 | 1.927 | 17.5 | 668–2158 | data |
| 69230 Hermes | 1942-04-26 | 1.651 | 1.651 | 1.651 | 17.5 | 668–2158 | data |
| (137108) 1999 AN10 | 1946-08-07 | 2.432 | 2.429 | 2.435 | 17.9 | 556–1795 | data |
| (33342) 1998 WT24 | 1956-12-16 | 3.523 | 3.523 | 3.523 | 17.9 | 556–1795 | data |
| (163243) 2002 FB3 | 1961-04-12 | 4.903 | 4.900 | 4.906 | 16.4 | 1669–1695 | data |
| (192642) 1999 RD32 | 1969-08-27 | 3.627 | 3.625 | 3.630 | 16.3 | 1161–3750 | data |
| (143651) 2003 QO104 | 1981-05-18 | 2.761 | 2.760 | 2.761 | 16.0 | 1333–4306 | data |
| 2017 CH1 | 1992-06-05 | 4.691 | 3.391 | 6.037 | 17.9 | 556–1795 | data |
| (170086) 2002 XR14 | 1995-06-24 | 4.259 | 4.259 | 4.260 | 18.0 | 531–1714 | data |
| (33342) 1998 WT24 | 2001-12-16 | 4.859 | 4.859 | 4.859 | 17.9 | 556–1795 | data |
| 4179 Toutatis | 2004-09-29 | 4.031 | 4.031 | 4.031 | 15.3 | 2440–2450 | data |
| 2014 JO25 | 2017-04-19 | 4.573 | 4.573 | 4.573 | 17.8 | 582–1879 | data |
| (137108) 1999 AN10 | 2027-08-07 | 1.014 | 1.010 | 1.019 | 17.9 | 556–1795 | data |
| (35396) 1997 XF11 | 2028-10-26 | 2.417 | 2.417 | 2.418 | 16.9 | 881–2845 | data |
| (154276) 2002 SY50 | 2071-10-30 | 3.415 | 3.412 | 3.418 | 17.6 | 714–1406 | data |
| (164121) 2003 YT1 | 2073-04-29 | 4.409 | 4.409 | 4.409 | 16.2 | 1167–2267 | data |
| (385343) 2002 LV | 2076-08-04 | 4.184 | 4.183 | 4.185 | 16.6 | 1011–3266 | data |
| (52768) 1998 OR2 | 2079-04-16 | 4.611 | 4.611 | 4.612 | 15.8 | 1462–4721 | data |
| (33342) 1998 WT24 | 2099-12-18 | 4.919 | 4.919 | 4.919 | 17.9 | 556–1795 | data |
| (85182) 1991 AQ | 2130-01-27 | 4.140 | 4.139 | 4.141 | 17.1 | 1100 | data |
| 314082 Dryope | 2186-07-16 | 3.709 | 2.996 | 4.786 | 17.5 | 668–2158 | data |
| (137126) 1999 CF9 | 2192-08-21 | 4.970 | 4.967 | 4.973 | 18.0 | 531–1714 | data |
| (290772) 2005 VC | 2198-05-05 | 1.951 | 1.791 | 2.134 | 17.6 | 638–2061 | data |
| $^{(A)}$ List includes near-Earth approaches of less than 5 lunar distances (LD) of objects with H brighter than 18. $^{(B)}$ Nominal geocentric distance from the Earth's center to the object's center (Earth radius≈0.017 LD). $^{(C)}$ Diameter: estimated, theoretical mean-diameter based on H and albedo range between X and Y. $^{(D)}$ Reference: data source from the JPL SBDB, with AU converted into LD (1 AU≈390 LD) $^{(E)}$ Color codes: unobserved at close approach observed during close approach upcoming approaches ||||||||

## Meteor stream

On 28 April 2017, a 2.7 cm (1 in) fragment of 2013 YT$_1$ is suspected of having impacted Earth creating a fireball over Kyoto, Japan. The fragment would have broken off the parent body within the last ten thousand years.

## Physical characteristics

This object has been characterized as a bright Vestian-like V-type asteroid.

### Rotation period

Several rotational lightcurve of this asteroid have been obtained from photometric observations (U=2/n.a./3/3). Analysis of the best-rated lightcurve gave a short rotation period of 2.343 hours with a brightness amplitude between 0.16 and 0.27 magnitude.

### Diameter and albedo

According to radar observations with the Arecibo Observatory and the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, this asteroid measures between 1.0 and 1.717 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.198 and 0.4861.
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.5848 and adopts a diameter of 1.0 kilometer based on an absolute magnitude of 16.2.

### Satellite

The Arecibo radar observations in May 2004 revealed that 2003 YT$_1$ is a synchronous binary asteroid. Follow-up observations confirmed a 210-meter sized minor-planet moon orbiting its primary every 30 hours at a distance of 2.7 km.

## Numbering and naming

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 26 September 2007 (M.P.C. 60686). As of 2018, it has not been named.