12838 Adamsmith
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. W. Elst |
| Discovery site | ESO – La Silla Obs. |
| Discovery date | 9 March 1997 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 12838 Adamsmith |
Named after |
Adam Smith (moral philosopher)[2] |
|
1997 EL55 · 1987 DX6 1997 HO14 · 1999 RX2 | |
| main-belt · Koronis [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 28.81 yr (10,524 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.0699 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6973 AU |
| 2.8836 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0645 |
| 4.90 yr (1,789 days) | |
| 35.400° | |
| Inclination | 1.1684° |
| 322.33° | |
| 88.049° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.16 km (calculated)[3] |
| 10.9090±0.0031 h[4] | |
| 0.24 (assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
| 13.0[1] | |
|
| |
12838 Adamsmith, provisional designation 1997 EL55, is a stony asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, about 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Belgian astronomer Eric Walter Elst at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile, on 9 March 1997.[5]
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Koronis family, a group consisting of about 200 known bodies. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 11 months (1,789 days). Its orbit is tilted by 1 degree to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an eccentricity of 0.06.[3] A photometric light-curve measurement at the Palomar Transient Factory Survey has rendered a rotation period of 10.9090±0.0031 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.48 in magnitude.[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24, a typical value for asteroids with a stony surface composition.[3]
The minor planet was named after Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith (1723–1790), a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. He is known for his works The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). In the latter, he introduced the principle of the division of labor and suggested that self-interest is the only way to reach socially beneficial results.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 12838 Adamsmith (1997 EL55)" (2015-12-20 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved January 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (12838) Adamsmith. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 829. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved January 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (12838) Adamsmith". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved January 2016.
- 1 2 Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal 150 (3): 35. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved January 2016.
- ↑ "12838 Adamsmith (1997 EL55)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved January 2016.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (10001)-(15000) – Minor Planet Center
- 12838 Adamsmith at the JPL Small-Body Database
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