[neo_followup] X67648: an NEO on a very unusual orbit, potentially a progenitor to the Daytime Kappa Aquariids

[Sam Deen]

Hi all,
We've got a (not quite as exceptional perihelion-wise) 2020 BU13-like object, but a very odd object nonetheless. Based on 10 hours of observation so far, X67648 seems to be on an extremely eccentric orbit that takes it from <0.3 AU from the Sun to well over 4 AU. The min aphelion according to CNEOS is ~4.4 AU, and the max is ~8.7 AU (the nominal being ~5.6 AU). Although a large number of low-perihelion asteroids have aphelia extending nearly out to Jupiter, only a tiny handful actually cross Jupiter's orbit: 2013 JA36, 2016 BY14, 2006 OS9, 2010 JG87, 2017 HE4, 2011 GS60, and 2019 OC5. Of those, only the final three have aphelia beyond this object's nominal orbit.
Performing a search for similarities to known meteor showers, the definite closest relationship is the shower 00128/MKA - the Daytime Kappa Aquariids, compared here to X67648's preliminary orbit, as well as the hypothesized parent body of them, 2002 EV11:

             MKA  X67648  2002 EV11
q        ~0.23    ~0.25     0.232
e         ~0.88   ~0.91     0.889
i          ~2.2     ~0.3       11.60
node  ~358    ~200      183.6
peri    ~50      ~210      218.1
long    ~48     ~50        41.7H       N/A        25.8      20.0d (m) N/A      ~24        ~340

The possible relationship is fairly clear.

Followup would of course be very much appreciated. The object is currently circa magnitude 20.5 and dimming moderately quickly, at a very favorable elongation. The uncertainty will remain at a couple dozen arcseconds for the next few days, so really the main limiting factor for study is its dimming. Even if it is a meteor shower progenitor, I very much doubt that at this distance it would be outputting very much dust, but it couldn't hurt to pay special attention to any cometary activity for anyone observing it.

~Sam
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