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Discovery and designation
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| Discovered by | Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team |
| Discovery site | Socorro |
| Discovery date | December 6, 1999 |
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Designations
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| MPC designation | 16113 |
| Alternate name(s) | 1999 XN23 |
| Epoch August 27, 2011 (JD 2455800.5) | |
| Aphelion | 3.1875143 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6434087 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 2.9154615 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.0933138 |
| Orbital period | 4.978163453 yr (1818.2742012 d) |
| Average orbital speed | 0.09798994°/day |
| Mean anomaly | 173.68481° |
| Inclination | 2.67924° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 150.55958° |
| Argument of perihelion | 207.93672° |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 14.4 |
16113 Ahmed (provisionally designated 1999 XN23) is an asteroid from the asteroid belt discovered on December 6, 1999 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team at Socorro, New Mexico. The asteroid is officially named after a high-school student from Brooklyn, New York who participated in a science contest.[3] 16113 Ahmed orbits the Sun at a distance that is three times greater than the distance between the Earth and the Sun, completing an orbit every five years.
16113 Ahmed was discovered on December 6, 1999, by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research Team (LINEAR), which is based in Socorro, New Mexico. 16113 Ahmed was given the provisional designation 1999 XN23.[3] As of August 27, 2011, 432 observations ranging from 1993 to 2009 were used to extrapolate data on 16113 Ahmed. 16113 Ahmed reached perihelion, or its closest point to the Sun, on April 1, 2009.[1]
The asteroid is presently named in honor of then-high-school-student Tahir Ahmed, a senior who attended Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York. Ahmed was a finalist in the 2002 Intel Science Talent Search.[3]
16113 Ahmed orbits the Sun at a mean distance (semi-major axis) of 2.9154615 AU, which is 2.915 times the mean distance between the Earth and the Sun. At its closest, 16113 Ahmed reaches a distance of 2.6434087 AU, some 0.2720528 AU closer than the average distance at which it orbits. However, at its furthest, the asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 3.1875143 AU, over three times the distance between the Earth and the Sun, and 0.2720528 AU greater than the average distance. The asteroid has a relatively circular orbit, as its measured orbital eccentricity is 0.0933138. 16113 Ahmed orbits the Sun every 1818.2742012 days, which equates to approximately 4.98 years.[1]
The angle between the point at which 16113 Ahmed appears to cross between hemispheres in the night sky with respect to Earth and the point at which it is closest to the Sun, or the argument of perihelion, is 207.93672°. The angle at which the asteroid crosses between hemispheres, or the ascending node, is 150.55958°. On average, 16113 Ahmed travels 0.09798994° every day along its orbit, as seen from Earth. In addition, 16113 Ahmed's orbital inclination of 2.67924° indicates that is has a flat orbit relative to the Sun and its planets.[1]
The asteroid lies between Mars and Jupiter, which respectively have orbits at 1.52366231 AU[4] and 5.20446401 AU.[5] Mars has a largely circular orbit, with an orbital eccentricity of 0.093315, which is very similar to that of 16113 Ahmed.
16113 Ahmed has an apparent magnitude of 14.4. It cannot be seen from Earth with the naked eye.[1]
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