9115 Battisti
9115 Battisti, provisional designation 1997 DG, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 February 1997, by Italian astronomers Piero Sicoli and Francesco Manca at Sormano Astronomical Observatory in northern Italy.[7] The asteroid was named for Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti.[2] Orbit and classificationBattisti is a member of the Vestian family. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.2–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,354 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] In September 1980, it was first identified as 1980 RC8 at Palomar Observatory, extending the body's observation arc by 17 years prior to its official discovery observation at Sormano.[7] Physical characteristicsRotation periodIn November 2010, a fragmentary rotational lightcurve of Battisti was obtained from photometric observations at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. It gave a rotation period of 5.0228 hours with a low brightness variation of 0.07 magnitude (U=1), typically indicating that the asteroid has a nearly spheroidal shape.[5] Diameter and albedoAccording to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Battisti measures 5.7 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.195,[4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo of 0.20 for stony asteroids and calculates a diameter of 5.1 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 13.82.[3] NamingThis minor planet was named in memory of Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti (1943–1998).[8] In the 1970s, Battisti lived in a small village near Sormano, location of the discovering observatory.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 8 December 1998, three months after his death (M.P.C. 33389).[9] References
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