4949 Akasofu
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | T. Kojima |
| Discovery site | YGCO Chiyoda Station |
| Discovery date | 29 November 1988 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 4949 Akasofu |
Named after |
Syun-Ichi Akasofu (geophysicist)[2] |
|
1988 WE · 1978 YE 1981 RL5 · 1981 SV6 | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 36.89 yr (13,475 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.6558 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8886 AU |
| 2.2722 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1688 |
| 3.43 yr (1,251 days) | |
| 293.24° | |
| Inclination | 4.8115° |
| 108.72° | |
| 275.26° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
4.460±0.181 km[4] 5.67 km (calculated)[3] |
|
2.6798±0.0002 h[5] 2.6800±0.0003 h[lower-alpha 1] | |
|
0.3224±0.0552[4] 0.24 (assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
| 13.4[1] | |
|
| |
4949 Akasofu, provisional designation 1988 WE, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Takuo Kojima at the YGCO Chiyoda Station in Japan on 29 November 1988.[6]
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.9–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,251 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.17 and is tilted by 5 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. It has a rotation period of 2.68 hours[5][lower-alpha 1] and an albedo of 0.32, based on observations by the U.S. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission.[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a value of 0.24, identical to the albedo of the asteroid family's namesake, the asteroid 8 Flora.[3]
The minor planet was named in honor of Syun-Ichi Akasofu (b. 1930), a notable Japanese geophysicist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He also served as the director of the International Arctic Research Center from 1998 to 2007.[2]
References
- 1 2 Pravec (2007) web: rotation period 2.6800±0.0003 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.15 magnitude. Summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) for (4949) Akasofu
- 1 2 3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4949 Akasofu (1988 WE)" (2015-11-14 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved December 2015.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (4949) Akasofu. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 402. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved December 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "LCDB Data for (4949) Akasofu". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved December 2015.
- 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 December 2015.
- 1 2 Higgins, David; Pravec, Petr; Kusnirak, Peter; Masi, Gianluca; Galad, Adrian; Gajdos, Stefan; et al. (March 2006). "Asteriod lightcurve analysis at Hunters Hill Observatory and collaborating stations - autumn/winter 2005". Bulletin of the Minor Planets (Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers) 33 (1): 8–10. Bibcode:2006MPBu...33....8H. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved December 2015.
- ↑ "4949 Akasofu (1988 WE)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved December 2015.
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 (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 4949 Akasofu at the JPL Small-Body Database
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