4659 Roddenberry, provisional designation 1981 EP20, is a Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 2 March 1981, by American astronomer Schelte Bus at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia.[1] The likely S-type asteroid has an unsecured rotation period of 12 hours.[3] It was named for American screenwriter Gene Roddenberry.[1]
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. J. Bus |
| Discovery site | Siding Spring Obs. |
| Discovery date | 2 March 1981 |
| Designations | |
| (4659) Roddenberry | |
Named after | Gene Roddenberry [1] (American screenwriter) |
| 1981 EP20 · 1979 SY7 1979 TO1 | |
| main-belt [1][2] · (inner) Nysa [3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 41.19 yr (15,044 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.9019 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8408 AU |
| 2.3714 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2237 |
| 3.65 yr (1,334 d) | |
| 188.19° | |
| 0° 16m 11.64s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.4668° |
| 19.633° | |
| 5.1337° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 3.56 km (derived)[3] 3.622±0.601 km[5][6] | |
| 12 h (poor)[7] | |
| 0.193±0.065[5][6] 0.20 (assumed)[3] | |
| S (assumed)[3] | |
| 14.4[2] 14.61[3][6][7] 14.78±0.28[8] | |
Orbit and classification
editRoddenberry is a core member of the Nysa family (405),[3][4] a very large family of stony asteroids, alternatively known as Herta family. It is part of the Nysa–Polana complex, the largest grouping of asteroids in the main-belt. The complex is typically further divided into subfamilies with different spectral properties.[9]: 23
The asteroid orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,334 days; semi-major axis of 2.37 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in February 1977, or four years prior to its official discovery observation at Siding Spring.[1]
Physical characteristics
editRoddenberry is an assumed stony S-type asteroid, typical for core members of the Nysa family and in agreement with its high albedo (see below).[3]
Rotation period
editIn the 1990s, a fragmentary rotational lightcurve of Roddenberry was obtained from photometric observations by Richard Binzel. Lightcurve analysis gave a highly uncertain rotation period of 12 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.14 magnitude (U=1). As of 2018, no secure period has been obtained.[3][7]
Diameter and albedo
editAccording to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Roddenberry measures 3.622 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.193,[5][6] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20, and derives a diameter of 3.56 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.61.[3]
Naming
editThis minor planet was named in memory of famous American screenwriter, producer and futurist, Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991), known for the Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation television series, and for the Star Trek film franchise.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 18 February 1992 (M.P.C. 19698).[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "4659 Roddenberry (1981 EP20)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4659 Roddenberry (1981 EP20)" (2018-04-21 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "LCDB Data for (4659) Roddenberry". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Asteroid 4659 Roddenberry". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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)
- ^ a b c Binzel, Richard P.; Xu, Shui; Bus, Schelte J.; Bowell, Edward (September 1992). "Small Main-Belt Asteroid Lightcurve Survey". Icarus. 99 (1): 225–237. Bibcode:1992Icar...99..225B. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(92)90184-9. ISSN 0019-1035.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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 9780816532131. S2CID 119280014.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
External links
edit- 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 (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 4659 Roddenberry at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 4659 Roddenberry at the JPL Small-Body Database
