9000 Hal

This article is about the real-life asteroid. For the fictional computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey, see HAL 9000.

9000 Hal
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. Bowell
Discovery siteAnderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date3 May 1981
Designations
(9000) Hal
Pronunciation/ˈhæl/
Named after
HAL 9000 [1]
(Fictional supercomputer)
1981 JO · 1975 VH3
1981 JJ3 · 1995 US3
main-belt [1][2] · (inner)
background [3] · Flora [4]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc41.49 yr (15,156 d)
Aphelion2.6955 AU
Perihelion1.7648 AU
2.2301 AU
Eccentricity0.2087
3.33 yr (1,216 d)
328.38°
0° 17m 45.24s / day
Inclination6.2618°
226.61°
79.871°
Physical characteristics
3.61±0.78 km[5]
4.11 km (calculated)[4]
4.134±0.935 km[6][7]
22.68±0.02 h (poor)[8]
908 h[9]
0.24 (assumed)[4]
0.26±0.13[5]
0.375±0.184[6][7]
S (assumed)[4]
13.6[7]
14.0[2]
14.1[4]
14.35±0.66[10]
14.42[5]

9000 Hal, provisional designation 1981 JO, is a stony background asteroid and slow rotator from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 3 May 1981, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States.[1] The likely elongated S-type asteroid has an exceptionally long rotation period of 908 hours.[4] It was named after the fictional supercomputer HAL 9000, featured in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.[1]

Orbit and classification

Hal is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population when applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements.[3] Based on osculating Keplerian orbital elements, the asteroid has also been classified as a member of the Flora family (402), a giant asteroid family and the largest family of stony asteroids in the main-belt.[4]

Hal orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,216 days; semi-major axis of 2.23 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The asteroid was first observed as 1975 VH3 at Crimea–Nauchnij in November 1975. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa in May 1981.[1]

Physical characteristics

Hal is an assumed stony S-type asteroid, based on the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link's (CALL) classification into the Flora family.[4]

Rotation period

In August 2008, a rotational lightcurve of Hal was obtained from photometric observations by Slovak astronomers Adrián Galád, Jozef Világi, Leonard Kornoš and Štefan Gajdoš at Modra Observatory.[9] Lightcurve analysis gave an exceptionally long rotation period of 908 hours with a high brightness variation of 0.9 magnitude (U=2+). This makes Hal one of the slowest rotators known to exist. In addition, the body's high brightness amplitude is indicative of a non-spherical shape.

An alternative measurement by French amateur astronomers Pierre Antonini and René Roy gave a much shorter period of 22.68 hours.[8] The result, however, is considered of poor quality by CALL (U=1).[4]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Hal measures between 3.61 and 4.134 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.26 and 0.375.[5][6][7] CALL assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the Flora family's parent body – and calculates a diameter of 4.11 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.1.[4]

Naming

This minor planet was named after the fictional and homicidal supercomputer HAL 9000, featured in both Arthur C. Clarke's novel and Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).[1] HAL stands for Heuristically programmed Algorithmic computer. It is one of the best-known artificial intelligence characters in modern movies. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 May 1999 (M.P.C. 34628).[11] The asteroid 4923 Clarke and 10221 Kubrick were named after the writer and film director, respectively.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "9000 Hal (1981 JO)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 9000 Hal (1981 JO)" (2017-05-01 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Asteroid 9000 Hal". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "LCDB Data for (9000) Hal". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Kramer, E. A.; Grav, T.; et al. (September 2016). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year Two: Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (3): 12. arXiv:1606.08923. Bibcode:2016AJ....152...63N. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/3/63.
  6. ^ a b c 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. S2CID 118745497.
  7. ^ a b c d Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. S2CID 35447010. (catalog)
  8. ^ a b Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (9000) Hal". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  9. ^ a b Galad, Adrian; Vilagi, Jozef; Kornos, Leonard; Gajdos, Stefan (July 2009). "Relative Photometry of Nine Asteroids from Modra". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 36 (3): 116–118. Bibcode:2009MPBu...36..116G. ISSN 1052-8091.
  10. ^ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. S2CID 53493339.
  11. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 16 May 2018.