1221 Amor

Infobox Planet | discovery=yes | physical_characteristics = yes | bgcolour=#FFFFC0
name=1221 Amor
discoverer=Eugène Joseph Delporte
discovered=March 12, 1932
alt_names=1932 EA₁
mp_category=Amor asteroid,
Mars-crosser asteroid
epoch=July 14, 2004 (JD 2453200.5)
semimajor=287.207 Gm (1.920 AU)
perihelion=162.403 Gm (1.086 AU)
aphelion=412.011 Gm (2.754 AU)
eccentricity=0.435
period=971.635 d (2.66 a)
inclination=11.879°
asc_node=171.418°
arg_peri=26.436°
mean_anomaly=49.408°
avg_speed=20.44 km/s
dimensions=1.5? km
mass=3.5×10¹² kg
density=2? g/cm³
surface_grav=0.000 42 m/s²
escape_velocity=0.000 79 km/s
rotation=? d
spectral_type=C or S?
abs_magnitude=17.7
albedo=0.15?
single_temperature=~198 K

1221 Amor is the namesake of the Amor asteroids, a group of near-Earth asteroids whose orbits range between those of Earth and Mars. Amors are often Mars-crossers but they are not Earth-crossers.

Eugène Joseph Delporte photographed Amor as it approached Earth to within 16 million kilometers (about 40 times the distance from Earth to the moon); this was the first time that an asteroid was seen to approach Earth so closely. A month later, 1862 Apollo was seen to cross Earth's orbit, and the scientific community suddenly realised the potential threat these flying mountains presented.

Amor is named after the Roman god of love, better known as Cupid. See also 763 Cupido and 433 Eros, which is named after Cupid's Greek counterpart. Coincidentally, 433 Eros, like 1221 Amor, makes close approaches to Earth. It is a Mars-crosser as well.

External links

*JPL Small Body