(467336) 2002 LT38

(467336) 2002 LT₃₈, is a sub-kilometer asteroid and suspected tumbler, classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Aten group, approximately 240 meters (790 ft) in diameter. It was discovered on 12 June 2002, by astronomers of the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research at the Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site near Socorro, New Mexico, in the United States.^[2]

2002 LT₃₈ orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.6–1.1 AU once every 9 months (284 days; semi-major axis of 0.85 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.31 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1]

The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at AMOS on 10 June 2002, two nights prior to its official discovery observation at Lincoln Lab's ETS.^[2]

2002 LT₃₈ has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0344 AU (5,150,000 km) which corresponds to 13.4 lunar distances.^[1] It will pass at that distance during its close encounter with Earth on 27 June 2030.^[1]

The asteroid is an assumed stony S-type asteroid.^[3]

In July 2016, a first rotational lightcurve of 2002 LT₃₈ was obtained from photometric observations by American astronomer Brian Warner at his Palmer Divide Station in California (U82). Lightcurve analysis gave a longer-than average rotation period of 21.80 hours with a brightness variation of 1.16 magnitude (U=2+).^[5][a] A high brightness amplitude typically indicates that the body has a non-spherical, elongated shape. It is also a suspected tumbler.^[5]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 0.236 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 20.5.^[3]

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 21 May 2016, after its orbit determination became sufficiently secure (M.P.C. 100286).^[8] As of 2018, it has not been named.^[2]

• List Of Aten Minor Planets (by designation), Minor Planet Center
• List of the Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), Minor Planet Center
• PHA Close Approaches To The Earth, Minor Planet Center
• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• (467336) 2002 LT38 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation
• (467336) 2002 LT38 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical properties · Summary
• (467336) 2002 LT38 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters