(89959) 2002 NT7

Template: Infobox Asteroid / Maintenance / Error 2

(89959) 2002 NT7 is an asteroid of the Apollo - type, which was discovered on 9 July 2002 as part of the LINEAR search program in New Mexico (USA). He was the second asteroid in history, for, a positive value on the Palermo scale, a scale to assess the risk of an impact on Earth determined.

The asteroid is moving at a distance of 0.817 ( perihelion ) to 2.654 ( aphelion ) astronomical units in about 2,286 years around the sun. Its orbit is inclined at 42.313 ° to the ecliptic.

Due to its brightness, the diameter of ( 89959 ) 2002 NT7 was estimated at about 1.5 to 3.4 km.

End of July 2002, shortly after its discovery came in 2002 NT7 to prominence after a few days earlier, a positive value was determined on the Palermo scale for him. Thus, there was at this time a low probability of a collision with Earth on February 1, 2019 which was also due to the path data then only imprecisely known. This news spread Across the world in the media and was partially dramatized. The many observations of asteroids in the days that followed, the accuracy of the path data improved and the probability of an impact took off very quickly. In early August 2002, it was clear that the asteroid will pose no threat to Earth in the foreseeable future.

As part of the media coverage in 2002 NT7 ever referred to as the first asteroid with a positive value on the Palermo scale, which partly continues to resonate today. In fact, beginning of April 2002 was already on ( 29075 ) 1950 DA, a positive value was calculated on this scale for a strike in the year 2880 ( and in contrast to 2002 NT7 he kept this ). Thus, (89959) 2002 NT7 the second object in the history of a positive value on the Palermo scale, however, the first for which an impact was determined in the near future.