31249 Renéefleming (provisional designation 1998 DF14) is a dark Zhongguo asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers (4 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 27 February 1998, by astronomers with the ODAS survey conducted at the CERGA Observatory near Caussols, France.[1] The presumed C-type asteroid has a short rotation period of 3.34 hours.[3] It was named for American soprano Renée Fleming.[1]

31249 Renéefleming
Discovery [1]
Discovered byODAS
Discovery siteCERGA Obs.
Discovery date27 February 1998
Designations
(31249) 1998 DF14
Named after
Renée Fleming
(American soprano)
1998 DF14 · 1992 FU3
1993 OC11
main-belt[1] · (outer)[2][3]
Zhongguo[4] · 2:1 res[5]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc23.14 yr (8,453 d)
Aphelion4.1082 AU
Perihelion2.3852 AU
3.2467 AU
Eccentricity0.2654
5.85 yr (2,137 d)
165.56°
0° 10m 6.6s / day
Inclination1.5766°
96.933°
86.472°
Physical characteristics
6.08 km (calculated)[3]
6.973±0.083 km[6][7]
3.34±0.04 h[8]
0.053±0.011[6][7]
0.057 (assumed)[3]
C (assumed)[3]
14.36±0.08 (R)[8]
14.4[1][2]
14.6[7]
14.81[3]
14.84[9]

Orbit and classification

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Renéefleming is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population,[5][10] and a member of the small group of Zhongguo asteroids,[4] located in the Hecuba gap and locked in a 2:1 mean-motion resonance with the gas giant Jupiter. Contrary to the nearby Griqua group, the orbits of the Zhongguos are stable over half a billion years.[4]

It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.4–4.1 AU once every 5 years and 10 months (2,137 days; semi-major axis of 3.25 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.27 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with its first observations at Mount Wilson Observatory in April 1934, almost 64 years prior to its official discovery observation at Caussols.[1]

Physical characteristics

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Renéefleming is an assumed C-type asteroid,[3] which agrees with the body's albedo (see below).

Rotation period

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In December 2014, a rotational lightcurve of Renéefleming was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a short rotation period of 3.34 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.12 magnitude (U=2-).[8]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Renéefleming measures 6.973 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.053,[6][7] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a carbonaceous asteroid of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 6.08 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.81.[3]

Numbering and naming

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This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) on 30 November 2001, after its orbit had sufficiently been secured (M.P.C. 44038).[11] It was named after American soprano Renée Fleming (born 1959) known for her roles in classical operas by Richard Strauss, Mozart, Handel, Verdi and Dvorak, as well as more modern pieces.[1] The official naming citation was published by the MPC on 29 May 2018 (M.P.C. 110615).[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "31249 Reneefleming (1998 DF14)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 31249 Reneefleming (1998 DF14)" (2015-05-22 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "LCDB Data for (31249)". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Roig, F.; Nesvorný, D.; Ferraz-Mello, S. (September 2002). "Asteroids in the 2 : 1 resonance with Jupiter: dynamics and size distribution [ Erratum: 2002MNRAS.336.1391R ]". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 335 (2): 417–431. Bibcode:2002MNRAS.335..417R. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05635.x.
  5. ^ a b "Asteroid (31249) Renéefleming – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  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.
  8. ^ a b c Chang, Chan-Kao; Lin, Hsing-Wen; Ip, Wing-Huen; Prince, Thomas A.; Kulkarni, Shrinivas R.; Levitan, David; et al. (December 2016). "Large Super-fast Rotator Hunting Using the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 227 (2): 13. arXiv:1608.07910. Bibcode:2016ApJS..227...20C. doi:10.3847/0067-0049/227/2/20.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Asteroid 31249 Renéefleming". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  11. ^ a b "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
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