2017 QO32 versus NEO P10COCz

Peter Birtwhistle noticed a similarity between the orbits of these two newly discovered asteroids (see his MPML message).

I tried to simulate, using the Mercury integrator by John E. Chambers, their past relative distance and velocity.

The data are still very uncertain and so this simulation is by no means conclusive: however, it seems that in these days these two asteroids are at the end of a much longer cycle where they happen to come relatively near.

When more data are available, it will be interesting to see if there is a point in the past when the distance between these two asteroids was much less than a lunar distance and their relative velocity was less than say 1 m/s.

Simulation data

Today, 30 Aug 2017, I downloaded the observations  made available by the Minor Planet Center, then I got the orbital parameters submitting them to Find_Orb (server page).

Simulation configuration




From file info.out:
   Algorithm: Bulirsch-Stoer (conservative systems)

   Integration start epoch:       2458000.5000000 days
   Integration stop  epoch:      -100000000.0000000
   Output interval:                  100.000
   Output precision:                 medium

   Initial timestep:                0.100 days
   Accuracy parameter:              1.0000E-12

Simulation result

Note: the apparent zero points both in relative distance and velocity are NOT really zero! 


Kind Regards,
Alessandro Odasso