1918 Aiguillon

1918 Aiguillon
Discovery[1]
Discovered byG. Soulié
Discovery siteBordeaux Obs.
Discovery date19 October 1968
Designations
(1918) Aiguillon
Named after
Aiguillon (French town)[2]
1968 UA
main-belt · (outer)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc62.93 yr (22,985 days)
Aphelion3.6118 AU
Perihelion2.7755 AU
3.1936 AU
Eccentricity0.1309
5.71 yr (2,085 days)
145.64°
Inclination9.1961°
195.12°
245.30°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions19.536±0.090 km[3]
20±8 km (generic)[4]
0.062±0.012[3]
11.7[1]

1918 Aiguillon provisional designation 1968 UA, is a dark asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter.

It was discovered by French astronomer Guy Soulié at Bordeaux Observatory, France, on 19 October 1968.[5] The asteroid was named for the French town of Aiguillon.[2]

Orbit and classification

Aiguillon orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.8–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,085 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first observation was a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in 1954, extending the body's observation arc by 14 years prior to its official discovery observation.[5]

Physical characteristics

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Aiguillon measures 19.5 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.062.[3]

Based on a generic magnitude-diameter conversion, the body measures between 12 and 28 kilometers, for an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25 and an absolute magnitude of 11.7.[4] As of 2017, Aiguillon's composition, rotation period and shape remain unknown.[6]

Naming

This minor planet was named for the discoverer's birthplace, Aiguillon, a small town on the Garonne river in France.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 December 1979 (M.P.C. 5038).[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1918 Aiguillon (1968 UA)" (2017-05-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1918) Aiguillon". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1918) Aiguillon. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 154. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1919. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Archived from the original on 2 March 2001. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b "1918 Aiguillon (1968 UA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  6. ^ "LCDB Data for (1918) Aiguillon". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  7. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 December 2016.