3192 A'Hearn

3192 A'Hearn
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. Bowell
Discovery siteAnderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date30 January 1982
Designations
(3192) A'Hearn
Named after
Michael A'Hearn
(astronomer)[2]
1982 BY1 · 1975 JN
main-belt · (inner) [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc41.29 yr (15,081 days)
Aphelion2.7782 AU
Perihelion1.9767 AU
2.3774 AU
Eccentricity0.1686
3.67 yr (1,339 days)
251.29°
0° 16m 8.04s / day
Inclination2.8791°
56.726°
91.584°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions4.361±0.700[4]
5.66 km (calculated)[3]
3.160 h[5]
0.20 (assumed)[3]
0.354±0.166[4]
SMASS = C [1] · C [3]
13.6[1][3]

3192 A'Hearn, provisional designation 1982 BY1, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, on 30 January 1982.[6]

Orbit and classification

The C-type asteroid orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,339 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was obtained at El Leoncito in 1975, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 7 years prior to its discovery.[6]

Physical characteristics

A rotational lightcurve for this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations made by Japanese astronomer Sunao Hasegawa, using the 1.05-meter Schmidt telescope at Kiso Observatory in March 2004. It showed a well-defined rotation period of 3.16 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.20 in magnitude (U=3).[5] According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 4.4 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo of 0.354.[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 – despite the fact that the body has been classified as a carbonaceous C-type – and calculates a diameter of 5.7 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.6.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named for American cometary astronomer and professor of astronomy at CMNS, Michael A'Hearn (b. 1940), known for his contribution to cometary science, especially for his wide-range spectroscopic and spectrophotometric observations. He participated in the space-based EPOXI and IUE mission, which, in 1983, detected for the first time the presence of cometary diatomic sulfur while observing Comet IRAS–Araki–Alcock's spectrum.[2][7] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 22 June 1986 (M.P.C. 10848).[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3192 A'Hearn (1982 BY1)" (2016-08-20 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3192) A'Hearn". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3192) A'Hearn. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 265. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3193. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (3192) A'Hearn". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Masiero, J.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; et al. (December 2015). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year One: Preliminary Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 814 (2): 13. arXiv:1509.02522. Bibcode:2015ApJ...814..117N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/117. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b Hasegawa, S.; Miyasaka, S.; Mito, H.; Sarugaku, Y.; Ozawa, T.; Kuroda, D.; et al. (May 2012). "Lightcurve Survey of V-Type Asteroids. Observations Until 2005". Asteroids. 1667: 6281. arXiv:1204.0548. Bibcode:2012LPICo1667.6281H. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b "3192 A'Hearn (1982 BY1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  7. ^ Boice, Daniel C.; Reyle, Celine (December 2002). "The Nature of Diatomic Sulfur in Comets". Formation of Cometary Material. 25: E38. Bibcode:2003IAUJD..14E..38B. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  8. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 May 2016.