2001 DH47
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Spacewatch |
| Discovery date | February 1, 2001 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2001 DH47 |
| Minor planet category |
Martian L5  |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch April 18, 2013 (JD 2456400.5) | |
| Aphelion | 1.5766735 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.4708553 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 1.5237644 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.0347226 |
| Orbital period | 1.88 yr |
| Mean anomaly | 158.33828° |
| Inclination | 24.39962° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 147.42910° |
| Argument of perihelion | 17.59104° |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 562 m |
| Albedo | 0.5-0.05 (assumed) |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 19.7 |
|
| |
2001 DH47, also written as 2001 DH47, is a small asteroid which orbits near the L5 point of Mars (60 degrees behind Mars on its orbit).[1][2]
Discovery, orbit and physical properties
2001 DH47 was discovered on February 1, 2001 by the Spacewatch program, observing from Steward Observatory, Kitt Peak[3] and classified as Mars-crosser by the Minor Planet Center. Its orbit is characterized by low eccentricity (0.035), moderate inclination (24.4º) and a semi-major axis of 1.52 AU.[3] Its orbit is well determined as it is currently (March 2013) based on 45 observations with a data-arc span of 3,148 days.[4] It has an absolute magnitude of 19.7 which gives a characteristic diameter of 562 m.[4]
Mars trojan and orbital evolution
It was identified as Mars Trojan by H. Scholl, F. Marzari and P. Tricarico in 2005 and its dynamical half-lifetime was found to be of the order of the age of the Solar System.[1] Recent calculations [2] confirm that it is indeed a stable L5 Mars Trojan with a libration period of 1365 yr and an amplitude of 11º. These values as well as its short-term orbital evolution are very similar to those of 5261 Eureka.
Origin
Long-term numerical integrations show that its orbit is very stable on Gyr time-scales (1 Gyr = 1 billion years).[1][2] As in the case of Eureka, calculations in both directions of time (4.5 Gyr into the past and 4.5 Gyr into the future) indicate that 2001 DH47 may be a primordial object, perhaps a survivor of the planetesimal population that formed in the terrestrial planets region early in the history of the Solar System.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dynamics of Mars Trojans
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 de la Fuente Marcos, C.; de la Fuente Marcos, R. (April 2013). "Three new stable L5 Mars Trojans". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters 432 (1): L31–L35. arXiv:1303.0124. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.432L..31D. doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slt028.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 MPC data on 2001 DH47
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 JPL's Solar System Dynamics data on 2001 DH47
- Further reading
- 2001 DH47 Ivashchenko, Y., Ostafijchuk, P., Spahr, T. B. 2007, Minor Planet Electronic Circular, 2007-P09.
- Dynamics of Mars Trojans Scholl, H., Marzari, F., Tricarico, P. 2005, Icarus, Volume 175, Issue 2, p. 397-408.
- Three new stable L5 Mars Trojans de la Fuente Marcos, C., de la Fuente Marcos, R. 2013, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, Vol. 432, Issue 1, pp. 31–35.
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
