12374 Rakhat

Last updated

12374 Rakhat
012374-asteroid shape model (12374) Rakhat.png
Shape model of Rakhat from its lightcurve
Discovery [1]
Discovered by C. P. de Saint-Aignan
Discovery site Palomar Obs.
Discovery date15 May 1994
Designations
(12374) Rakhat
Named after
fictional planet
(novel The Sparrow ) [2]
1994 JG9 ·1958 TP
1974 OP ·1978 NV2
main-belt  ·(middle)
background
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 62.27 yr (22,743 days)
Aphelion 3.3333 AU
Perihelion 1.7672 AU
2.5502 AU
Eccentricity 0.3071
4.07 yr (1,488 days)
197.25°
0° 14m 31.2s / day
Inclination 8.9855°
123.46°
201.94°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
4.38 km (calculated) [3]
4.570±0.034 km [4] [5]
18.1702±0.0205  h [6]
0.20 (assumed) [3]
0.212±0.030 [4] [5]
S (assumed) [3]
13.707±0.005(R) [6]  ·13.8 [1]  ·14.0 [4]  ·14.16 [3]  ·14.60±0.76 [7]

    12374 Rakhat (prov. designation: 1994 JG9) is a background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 15 May 1994, by American astronomer and software engineer Charles de Saint-Aignan at the Palomar Observatory in California, United States. [8] The asteroid was named for the fictional planet "Rakhat" in the novel The Sparrow

    Contents

    Orbit and classification

    Orbital diagram of Rakhat Rakhat Orbit.jpg
    Orbital diagram of Rakhat

    Rakhat is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 1.8–3.3  AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,488 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.31 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic. [1]

    A first precovery was taken at the discovering Palomar Observatory in November 1954, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 40 years prior to its official discovery observation. [8]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named "Rakhat" after the fictional planet in the novel The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. [2] The novel begins in 2019, when SETI at the Arecibo, picks up radio broadcasts of music from this planet in the vicinity of Alpha Centauri. The first expedition is organized by the Jesuit order, known for its missionary, linguistic and scientific activities. The novel was followed by the sequel Children of God . The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 28 March 2002 ( M.P.C. 45234). [9]

    Physical characteristics

    Rakhat is an assumed common S-type asteroid. [3]

    In May 2010, a rotational lightcurve was obtained from photometric observations made astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. It gave a rotation period of 18.1702±0.0205 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.31 in magnitude ( U=2 ). [6]

    According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 4.6 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.21, [4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 4.4 kilometers. [3]

    Related Research Articles

    2026 Cottrell, provisional designation 1955 FF, is a dark asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter.

    6433 Enya, provisional designation 1978 WC, is a stony background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 November 1978, by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at the Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic. It was named for Irish musician Enya.

    7317 Cabot, provisional designation 1940 ED, is a background asteroid in a resonance with Jupiter, located the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 12 March 1940, by Hungarian astronomer György Kulin at the Konkoly Observatory in Budapest. The presumed S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 2.2 hours. It was named after Italian explorer John Cabot.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">9994 Grotius</span> Rafita asteroid

    9994 Grotius, provisional designation 4028 P-L, is a stony Rafita asteroid from the middle regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, and named after Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius.

    6398 Timhunter, provisional designation 1991 CD1, is a stony Phocaea asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 10 February 1991, by American astronomer couple Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker, in collaboration with Canadian astronomer David H. Levy at Palomar Observatory in California, United States. It was named for American amateur astronomer Tim Hunter.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">9910 Vogelweide</span>

    9910 Vogelweide, provisional designation 3181 T-2, is a stony Koronian asteroid and elongated slow rotator from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the second Palomar–Leiden trojan survey in 1973, and named after German medieval poet Walther von der Vogelweide.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1858 Lobachevskij</span>

    1858 Lobachevskij is a rare-type background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 August 1972, by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravleva at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named after Russian mathematician Nikolai Lobachevsky.

    9549 Akplatonov, provisional designation 1985 SM2, is an Eunomia asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 8.2 kilometers (5.1 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 19 September 1985, by Soviet–Russian astronomer couple Nikolai and Lyudmila Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. The likely S-type asteroid has a relatively short rotation period of 2.8 hours. It was named for Russian computational mathematician Aleksandr Platonov.

    15258 Alfilipenko, provisional designation 1990 RN17, is a carbonaceous background asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 September 1990, by Russian–Ukraininan astronomer Lyudmila Zhuravleva at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named after Russian civil engineer Aleksandr Filipenko.

    21795 Masi, provisional designation 1999 SN9, is a Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 29 September 1999, by Italian amateur astronomer Franco Mallia at the Campo Catino Astronomical Observatory in Lazio, Italy. The likely S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 13.86 hours. It was named for Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi.

    7476 Ogilsbie, provisional designation 1993 GE, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Timothy Spahr at the U.S. Catalina Station in Tucson, Arizona, on 14 April 1993.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">4606 Saheki</span>

    4606 Saheki, provisional designation 1987 UM1, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter.

    1979 Sakharov, provisionally designated 2006 P-L, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, and named after Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov.

    1881 Shao, provisional designation 1940 PC or 1968 OO, is a background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 25 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 August 1940, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The presumed C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 7.45 hours. It was named for Chinese astronomer Cheng-yuan Shao.

    4176 Sudek, provisional designation 1987 DS, is a Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 February 1987, by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at the Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic. The presumed C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 8.16 hours. It was named in memory of Czech photographer Josef Sudek.

    2169 Taiwan, provisional designation 1964 VP1, is a carbonaceous Astridian asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 November 1964, by astronomers at the Purple Mountain Observatory near Nanking, China. It was named for Taiwan.

    1688 Wilkens, provisional designation 1951 EQ1, is a Mitidika asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 March 1951, by Argentine astronomer Miguel Itzigsohn at La Plata Observatory in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and named after astronomer Alexander Wilkens.

    3823 Yorii, provisional designation 1988 EC1, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter.

    7204 Ondřejov, provisional designation 1995 GH, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 April 1995, by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory near Prague, Czech Republic.

    8026 Johnmckay, provisional designation 1991 JA1, is a binary Hungaria asteroid and very slow rotator from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 May 1991, by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at the U.S. Palomar Observatory, California, and later named for NASA test pilot John B. McKay.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 12374 Rakhat (1994 JG9)" (2017-03-01 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 5 July 2017.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(12374) Rakhat". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp.  780–781. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_8579. ISBN   978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (12374) Rakhat". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 19 May 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 4 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 19 May 2016.
    5. 1 2 Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv: 1109.4096 . Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68 . Retrieved 4 December 2016.
    6. 1 2 3 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. arXiv: 1504.04041 . Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75 . Retrieved 19 May 2016.
    7. ↑ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv: 1506.00762 . Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007 . Retrieved 19 May 2016.
    8. 1 2 "12374 Rakhat (1994 JG9)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
    9. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.