4263 Abashiri

4263 Abashiri
Discovery [1]
Discovered byM. Yanai
K. Watanabe
Discovery siteKitami Obs.
Discovery date7 September 1989
Designations
(4263) Abashiri
Named after
Abashiri (Japanese city)[2]
1989 RL2 · 1935 KE
1952 OS · 1969 TS3
1972 OB · 1978 EK
1981 AT1 · 1982 PF
1988 DK5
main-belt · Flora [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc66.06 yr (24,129 days)
Aphelion2.5445 AU
Perihelion1.9251 AU
2.2348 AU
Eccentricity0.1386
3.34 yr (1,220 days)
229.15°
0° 17m 42s / day
Inclination5.8057°
298.07°
307.66°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions7.17 km (derived)[3]
8.98±0.44 km[4]
4.8817±0.0001 h[a]
4.8820±0.0002 h[b]
4.88230±0.00008 h[c]
0.200±0.033[4]
0.24 (assumed)[3]
S [3]
12.7[1] · 12.60[4] · 12.44±0.08 (R)[b] · 12.93±0.094[3][5]

4263 Abashiri, provisional designation 1989 RL2, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.

The asteroid was discovered on 7 September 1989, by Japanese astronomers Masayuki Yanai and Kazuro Watanabe at Kitami Observatory in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan.[6] It was named for the Japanese city of Abashiri.[2]

Orbit and classification

Abashiri is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,220 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Due to a precovery obtained at Palomar Observatory in 1951, the asteroid's observation arc could be extended by 38 years prior to its discovery.[6]

Physical characteristics

Abashiri has been characterized as a stony S-type asteroid.[3]

Rotation period

Between 2008 and 2016, three rotational lightcurves of Abashiri were obtained by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of between 4.8817 and 4.88230 hours with a corresponding brightness variation between 0.11 and 0.42 magnitude (U=3/3).[a][b][c]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Abashiri measures 9.0 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.20,[4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24, derived from 8 Flora, the Flora family's largest member and namesake, and calculates a somewhat smaller diameter of 7.2 kilometers.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named for the Japanese city of Abashiri, known for its fishing industry. It is located at the Sea of Okhotsk, about 50 kilometers east of Kitami, in the eastern part of the island of Hokkaidō. The minor planets, 3720 Hokkaido and 3785 Kitami are named after the island and city, respectively.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19336).[7]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Pravec (2012): lightcurve plot of (4263) Abashiri with a rotation period 4.8817±0.0001 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.11 mag, denoted as a secure results (within the precision given and no ambiguity, U=3) by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL). Summary figures for (4263) Abashiri at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL)
  2. ^ a b c Pravec (2008): lightcurve plot of (4263) Abashiri with a rotation period 4.8820±0.0002 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.15 mag, denoted as a secure results (within the precision given and no ambiguity, U=3) by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL). Summary figures for (4263) Abashiri at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL)
  3. ^ a b Pravec (2016): lightcurve plot of (4263) Abashiri with a rotation period 4.88230±0.00008 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.42 mag, denoted as a secure results (within the precision given and no ambiguity, U=3) by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL). Summary figures for (4263) Abashiri at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL)

References

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4263 Abashiri (1989 RL2)" (2017-02-26 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(4263) Abashiri". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (4263) Abashiri. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 365. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_4224. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (4263) Abashiri". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  5. ^ Pravec, Petr; Harris, Alan W.; Kusnirák, Peter; Galád, Adrián; Hornoch, Kamil (September 2012). "Absolute magnitudes of asteroids and a revision of asteroid albedo estimates from WISE thermal observations". Icarus. 221 (1): 365–387. Bibcode:2012Icar..221..365P. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.026. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b "4263 Abashiri (1989 RL2)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  7. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 April 2016.