63305 Bobkepple

63305 Bobkepple

Discovery [1]
Discovered by	D. Healy
Discovery site	Junk Bond Obs.
Discovery date	17 March 2001
Designations
MPC designation	(63305) Bobkepple
Named after	George "Bob" Kepple (deep-sky astronomer)[2]
Alternative designations	2001 FE
Minor planet category	main-belt · (outer)[1] Hygiea [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	21.90 yr (7,998 days)
Aphelion	3.6936 AU
Perihelion	2.7077 AU
Semi-major axis	3.2006 AU
Eccentricity	0.1540
Orbital period (sidereal)	5.73 yr (2,091 days)
Mean anomaly	221.60°
Mean motion	0° 10^m 19.56^s / day
Inclination	5.5602°
Longitude of ascending node	179.85°
Argument of perihelion	135.54°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	6.216±0.181 km[4]
Geometric albedo	0.055±0.004[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.8[1]

63305 Bobkepple (provisional designation 2001 FE) is a carbonaceous Hygiean asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 17 March 2001, by astronomer David Healy at the Junk Bond Observatory in Arizona, United States.[5] The asteroid was named after Bob Kepple, co-author of The Night Sky Observer's Guide.

Orbit and classification

Bobkepple is a member of the Hygiea family (601),[3] a large family of carbonaceous outer-belt asteroids, named after 10 Hygiea, the main belt's fourth-largest asteroid.[6] It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.7 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,091 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The body's observation arc begins with a precovery image taken by Spacewatch in March 1995, six years prior to its official discovery observation at Junk Bond Observatory.[5]

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Bobkepple has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, spin axis and shape remains unknown.[1]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Bobkepple measures 6.216 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.055.[4]

Naming

This minor planet was named after deep-sky astronomer George Robert Kepple, creator of the "Astro Cards" observing aids and co-author of The Night Sky Observer's Guide, popular among deep-sky observers.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 May 2004 (M.P.C. 51982).[7]

References

1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 63305 Bobkepple (2001 FE)" (2017-01-26 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). "(63305) Bobkepple [3.20, 0.16, 5.6]". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 223. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-34361-5_2658. ISBN 978-3-540-34361-5.
3. "Asteroid 63305 Bobkepple – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
4. Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
5. "63305 Bobkepple (2001 FE)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
6. Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 978-0-8165-3213-1.
7. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 September 2017.

External links

• The Night Sky Observer's Guide by George Robert Kepple and Glen Sanner
• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (60001)-(65000) – Minor Planet Center
• 63305 Bobkepple at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 63305 Bobkepple at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters