5900 Jensen, provisional designation 1986 TL, is a dark Lixiaohua asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 19 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 October 1986, by Danish astronomer Poul Jensen at the Brorfelde Observatory in Denmark.[6] The asteroid was named for the discoverer and his wife Bodil Jensen.

5900 Jensen
Discovery [1]
Discovered byP. Jensen
Discovery siteBrorfelde Obs.
Discovery date3 October 1986
Designations
(5900) Jensen
Named after
Paul and Bodil Jensen [2]
(discoverer and wife)
1986 TL · 1930 UT
1969 PD
main-belt · (outer)
Lixiaohua[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc86.46 yr (31,578 days)
Aphelion3.8235 AU
Perihelion2.4821 AU
3.1528 AU
Eccentricity0.2127
5.60 yr (2,045 days)
222.85°
0° 10m 33.96s / day
Inclination9.0509°
302.09°
35.061°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions19.934±0.195 km[4]
0.030±0.014[5]
12.2[1]

Orbit and classification

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Jensen is a member of the Lixiaohua family,[3] an outer-belt asteroid family with more than 700 known members, consisting of C-type and X-type asteroids. The family's namesake is 3556 Lixiaohua.[7]: 23 

It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.5–3.8 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,045 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The asteroid was first identified as 1930 UT at Lowell Observatory in October 1930. The body's observation arc begins also at Lowell Observatory, with a precovery taken two days before its first identification, and 56 years prior to its official discovery observation at Brorfelde.[6]

Physical characteristics

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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, Jensen measures 19.934 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.030.[4][5]

Rotation period

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As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Jensen has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, poles and shape remains unknown.[8]

Naming

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This minor planet was named in honor of the discoverer and his wife, Paul and Bodil Jensen. The name was proposed by his colleagues Karl Augustesen and Hans Jørn Fogh Olsen. Jensen worked for 35 years in the Meridian Circle Department at the Brorfelde Observatory, and also participated in the observatories minor-planet program using its Schmidt telescope.[2]

The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 22 July, 1994 (M.P.C. 23793).[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5900 Jensen (1986 TL)" (2017-03-30 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(5900) Jensen". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 496. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_5517. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b "Asteroid 5900 Jensen – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b 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 9 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Masiero, J.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; et al. (December 2015). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year One: Preliminary Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 814 (2): 13. arXiv:1509.02522. Bibcode:2015ApJ...814..117N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/117. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b "5900 Jensen (1986 TL)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "LCDB Data for (5900) Jensen". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  9. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
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