Mass of the Asteroid (7348) 1993FJ₂₂ as Determined by the Dynamic Method

Abstract

—The mass of the asteroid ($$7348$$) is determined by the dynamic method based on the analysis of gravitational perturbations in the motion of the asteroid (7562) Kagiroino–Oka caused by asteroid (7348). The choice of these asteroids is due to the fact that on March $$26$$, $$1993,$$ they approached each other at a distance of about 1060 km. The diameter of the asteroid ($$7348$$) is estimated at $$10$$ km. The coordinates of the major planets were calculated according to the DE440 ephemeris. Perturbations from dwarf planets and $$340$$ minor bodies included in the ephemeris model were also taken into account with the masses adopted in this ephemeris. Additionally, perturbations from asteroids ($$656$$) and ($$1027$$) that had close encounters with ($$7562$$) during the considered time interval were also taken into account. In the analysis of the orbit of ($$7562$$), $$2864$$ Minor Planet Center catalog optical observations from the $$1986$$–$$2021$$ interval were used. These observations were supplemented with $$90$$ observations from Gaia (DR2) space observatory obtained in $$2014$$–$$2016$$. As a result of solving the normal system with respect to the orbital parameter corrections for asteroid (7562) Kagiroino–Oka and the mass correction of ($$7348$$), the mass of ($$7348$$) was derived as $$(0.867 \pm {{0.243)10}^{{ - 14}}}{{M}_{ \odot }}$$. Currently, it is the smallest asteroid the mass of which was determined by the dynamic method.