5535 Annefrank

5535 Annefrank

5535 Annefrank viewed by Stardust in 2002
Discovery [1]
Discovered by K. Reinmuth
Discovery site Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date 23 March 1942
Designations
MPC designation 5535 Annefrank
Named after
 Anne Frank[2]
1942 EM · 1978 EK6
1986 TV14 · 1991 BO2
main-belt · Augusta family
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 73.17 yr (26,726 days)
Aphelion 2.3532 AU
Perihelion 2.0718 AU
2.2125 AU
Eccentricity 0.0635
3.29 yr (1202.1 days)
143.73°
Inclination 4.2474°
120.64°
8.8520°
Earth MOID 1.0874 AU
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 4.8 km
(6.6 x 5.0 x 3.4 km)
15.12 h
Multiple possible values[3]
0.18–0.24[4]
S[4]
13.7

    5535 Annefrank /ˌæn ˈfræŋk/ is an inner main-belt asteroid, and member of the Augusta family. It was discovered by Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg State Observatory in 1942. In 1995 it was named after Anne Frank, the Dutch-Jewish diarist who died in a concentration camp. The asteroid was used as a target to practice the flyby technique that the Stardust space probe would later use on the comet Wild 2.[4]

    Orbit

    Annefrank orbits among the main-belt asteroids, with its shortest axis aligned roughly normal to its orbital plane.[4]

    Physical characteristics

    On November 2, 2002, the Stardust space probe flew past Annefrank at a distance of 3079 km. Its images show the asteroid to be 6.6 × 5.0 × 3.4 km, twice as big as previously thought, shaped like a triangular prism, with several visible impact craters.[4] From the photographs, the albedo of Annefrank was computed to be between 0.18 and 0.24.[4] Preliminary analysis of the Stardust imagery suggests that Annefrank may be a contact binary, although other possible explanations exist for its observed shape.[4]

    Later ground based lightcurve data was used in an attempt to measure Annefrank's rotational period. Their data resulted in possible rotational periods of 0.5, 0.63 or 0.95 days, with 0.63 days fitting the data best.[3] The lightcurve data also suggests that the asteroid is not Lambertian, meaning that surface features, such as shadows from boulders and craters, play a role in the object's perceived brightness and not just the asteroid's relative size when seen from that orientation.

    References

    1. 1 2 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5535 Annefrank (1942 EM)" (2015-05-25 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved October 2015.
    2. ↑ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (5535) Annefrank. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 472. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved October 2015.
    3. 1 2 Schmidt, B. E.; Bauer, J.; Buratti, B. J.; Russell, C. T. (March 12–16, 2007). "Rotational Light Curve and Rotation Period of 5535 Annefrank". 38th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference: 1859. Bibcode:2007LPI....38.1859S.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Duxbury, T. C.; et al. (February 2004). "Asteroid 5535 Annefrank size, shape, and orientation: Stardust first results". Journal of geophysical research e 109 (E2): E02002. Bibcode:2004JGRE..10902002D. doi:10.1029/2003JE002108. hdl:2014/7110.

    External links

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