4659 Roddenberry

4659 Roddenberry
Discovery[1]
Discovered by S. J. Bus
Discovery site Siding Spring Obs.
Discovery date 2 March 1981
Designations
MPC designation 4659 Roddenberry
Named after
Gene Roddenberry
(screenwriter)[2]
1981 EP20 · 1979 SY7
1979 TO1
main-belt · (inner)[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 37.35 yr (13,641 days)
Aphelion 2.9023 AU
Perihelion 1.8373 AU
2.3698 AU
Eccentricity 0.2246
3.65 yr (1,333 days)
278.18°
Inclination 2.4689°
19.627°
5.0318°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 3.622±0.601 km[4]
3.56 km (derived)[3]
12 h[5]
0.1929±0.0649[4]
0.20 (assumed)[3]
S[3]
14.3[1]

    4659 Roddenberry, provisional designation 1981 EP20, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 3.6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 2 March 1981, by American astronomer Schelte Bus at the Siding Spring Observatory in New South Wales, Australia.[6]

    The S-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.8–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,333 days). Its orbit is tilted by 2 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an eccentricity of 0.22. It has a rotation period of 12 hours[5] and an albedo of 0.19, according to the NEOWISE mission of the U.S. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.[4]

    The minor planet was named in memory of famous American screenwriter, producer and futurist, Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991), known for the Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation television series, and for the Star Trek film franchise.[2]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4659 Roddenberry (1981 EP20)" (2014-06-18 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved January 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (4659) Roddenberry. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 401. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved January 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 4 "LCDB Data for (4659) Roddenberry". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved January 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved January 2016.
    5. 1 2 Binzel, Richard P.; Xu, Shui; Bus, Schelte J.; Bowell, Edward (September 1992). "Small Main-Belt Asteroid Lightcurve Survey". Icarus: 225–237. Bibcode:1992Icar...99..225B. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(92)90184-9. ISSN 0019-1035. Retrieved January 2016.
    6. "4659 Roddenberry (1981 EP20)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved January 2016.

    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to 4659 Roddenberry.


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