2065 Spicer
2065 Spicer, provisional designation 1959 RN, is a dark and eccentric asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered on 9 September 1959, by the Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States, and named after American anthropologist Edward H. Spicer.[2][8] Orbit and classificationSpicer orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.1–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,619 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Physical characteristicsSpicer's spectra is that of an X-type and Xc-type in SMASS classification scheme, which indicates a transitional stage to the carbonaceous C-type asteroid.[1] It has also been characterized as a P-type asteroid by the NEOWISE mission.[4] PhotometryIn January 2005, photometric measurements of Spicer made by American astronomer Brian Warner at the Palmer Divide Observatory (716) gave a lightcurve with a well-defined rotation period of 18.165±0.005 hours and a brightness variation of 1.0±0.03 magnitude (U=3).[6][a] Diameter and albedoAccording to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Spicer measures 16.721 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.062,[4][5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 18.43 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.4.[3] NamingThis minor planet was named after American anthropologist Edward H. Spicer (1906–1983), professor at the University of Arizona, and a former president of the American Anthropological Association.[2] In 1955, Spicer's negotiations with the local district and tribal councils were instrumental for receiving permission to evaluate the location where the Kitt Peak National Observatory was later built.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 May 1983 (M.P.C. 7944).[9] Notes
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