274301 Wikipedia

274301 Wikipedia
Discovery
Discovery site Andrushivka Observatory[1]
Discovery date August 25, 2008
Designations
MPC designation 274301 Wikipedia
2008 QH24, 2007 FK34, 1997 RO4
asteroid belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch JD 2456400.5 (April 18, 2013)
Aphelion 2.7304718 AU (408,472,770 km)
Perihelion 2.0353200 AU (304,479,540 km)
2.3828959 AU (356,476,150 km)
Eccentricity 0.1458628
1343.5568 days
3.68 years
105.33152°
Inclination 6.72984°
183.49232°
139.63634°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 1–2 km (mean diameter)[2]
16.9

    274301 Wikipedia (provisional designations: 2008 QH24, 2007 FK34, 1997 RO4) is an asteroid orbiting in the asteroid belt. It was discovered by the Andrushivka Astronomical Observatory in August 2008.[3] The asteroid was named after the online encyclopedia Wikipedia in January 2013.[4]

    Discovery

    The asteroid was discovered by astronomers from the Andrushivka Astronomical Observatory (A50) in Ukraine, the country's only privately owned observatory,[5] which has discovered over 90 asteroids since 2003.[6] It was first observed by the Andrushivka team on August 25, 2008, at 22:47 (UTC).[3] It was also observed on the next night and it received provisional designation 2008 QH24.[7] After it was also observed on September 6 by the Andrushivka team, the orbit of the asteroid was calculated accurately. It was shown that the asteroid 2008 QH24 was the same as 1997 RO4 and 2007 FK34 previously spotted by observatories Caussols-ODAS (France), Mt. Lemmon Survey and Steward Observatory (both in Arizona, U.S.).[3] On April 18, 2011, the asteroid received the number 274301.[8] The composition of the asteroid is not known but it is likely to consist, like other asteroids from the asteroid belt, of a mixture of rock and metal.[9]

    Name

    The decision of the Committee for Small Body Nomenclature to assign the name "Wikipedia" to the asteroid was published in the Minor Planet Circular of January 27, 2013.[4] The name was proposed by Andriy Makukha, a board member of Wikimedia Ukraine. It was submitted to the Committee by the owner of the observatory, Yuri Ivashchenko.[5]

    The official citation of the name reads:

    “ Wikipedia is a free, copyleft, collaboratively edited online encyclopedia launched in 2001. In 11 years of its compilation it became one of the largest reference works and one of the most visited web-sites on the Internet. It is developed in more than 270 languages by enthusiasts from all over the world. ”

    —International Astronomical Union, January 13, 2013[1][4]

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 274301 Wikipedia at the JPL Small-Body Database
    2. ↑ Workman, Robert (5 February 2013). "'Wikipedia' is in space — as an asteroid". NBC News. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "(274301) Wikipedia = 1997 RO4 = 2007 FK34 = 2008 QH24". Minor Planet Center. January 30, 2013.
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "MPC 82403". Minor Planet Center. January 27, 2013.
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Астероїд, відкритий в Україні, було названо "Вікіпедія"". RegioNews. 31 January 2013.
    6. ↑ "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. January 30, 2013.
    7. ↑ "MPS 255948". Minor Planet Center. September 14, 2008.
    8. ↑ "MPC 74684". Minor Planet Center. April 18, 2011.
    9. ↑ "Відкритий в Україні астероїд назвали "Вікіпедія"". NEWSru.ua. January 31, 2012.

    External links

    Wikinews has related news: Main belt asteroid No. 274301 named 'Wikipedia'