2002 VE₆₈ - Quasi-satellite Dynamical State and Orbital Evolution

Quasi-satellite Dynamical State and Orbital Evolution

The existence of retrograde satellites or quasi-satellites was first considered by J. Jackson in 1913 but none was discovered until almost 100 years later. 2002 VE₆₈ was the first quasi-satellite to be discovered, in 2002, although it was not immediately recognized as such. 2002 VE₆₈ was identified as a quasi-satellite of Venus by Seppo Mikkola, Ramon Brasser, Paul A. Wiegert and Kimmo Innanen in 2004, two years after the actual discovery of the object. From the perspective of a hypothetical observer above Venus clouds, it appears to travel around the planet during one Venusian year although it does not orbit Venus but the Sun like any other asteroid. As quasi-satellite, this minor body is trapped in a 1:1 mean motion resonance with Venus. Besides being a Venus co-orbital, this Aten asteroid is also a Mercury grazer and an Earth crosser. 2002 VE₆₈ exhibits resonant (or near-resonant) behavior with Mercury, Venus, and Earth. It seems to have been co-orbital with Venus for only the last 7,000 years, and is destined to be ejected from this orbital arrangement about 500 years from now. During this time, its distance to Venus has been and will remain larger than about 0.2 AU (3·107 km).