2017 Wesson

Last updated

2017 Wesson
Discovery [1]
Discovered by M. F. Wolf
Discovery site Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date20 September 1903
Designations
(2017) Wesson
Named after
Mary Wesson
(wife of C. M. Bardwell) [2]
A903 SC ·1936 FA2
1949 CG ·1950 LD1
1970 GE ·1974 QJ1
main-belt  ·(inner) [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 113.60 yr (41,492 days)
Aphelion 2.6710 AU
Perihelion 1.8340 AU
2.2525 AU
Eccentricity 0.1858
3.38 yr (1,235 days)
290.04°
0° 17m 29.4s / day
Inclination 4.8605°
171.31°
136.28°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 7.223±0.156 km [4] [5]
7.23 km (derived) [3]
2.988 h [6]
3.4158±0.0005 h [7]
3.41581±0.00003 h [8]
0.200±0.055 [3] [4] [5]
S [3]
B–V = 0.887 [1]
U–B = 0.545 [1]
12.61±0.14 [9]  ·12.78 [1]  ·13.07 [3] [4] [6]

    2017 Wesson, provisional designation A903 SC, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 20 September 1903, by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany. [10] It was later named after Mary Joan Wesson Bardwell, wife of Conrad Bardwell, an associate director of the Minor Planet Center. [2]

    Contents

    Orbit and classification

    Wesson orbits the Sun in the inner main belt at a distance of 1.8–2.7  AU, orbiting once every 3 years and 5 months (1,235 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. [1]

    Physical characteristics

    Wesson has been characterized as a stony S-type asteroid. [3] It has a rotation period of 3.418 hours. The numerous lightcurves have a brightness variation of 0.30 to 0.60 magnitude ( U=2/3- ). [6] [7] [8] According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 7.2 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.200. [4] [5] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the results obtained by WISE. [3]

    Naming

    The asteroid was named after Mary Joan Wesson Bardwell, wife of Conrad M. Bardwell (1926–2010), after whom the minor planet 1615 Bardwell is named. He also established the identifications for this minor planet. [2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 April 1978 ( M.P.C. 4358). [11]

    Related Research Articles

    4349 Tibúrcio, provisional designation 1989 LX, is a dark asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 29 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 June 1989, by German astronomer Werner Landgraf at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile.

    1763 Williams, provisional designation 1953 TN2, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 13 October 1953, by astronomers of the Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory in Indiana, United States. The asteroid was named after Kenneth P. Williams, professor of mathematics at Indiana University.

    1020 Arcadia, provisional designation 1924 QV, is a stony Agnia asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 March 1924, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in Heidelberg, Germany. The asteroid was named after the Greek region of Arcadia.

    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.

    1151 Ithaka, provisional designation 1929 RK, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 14 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in 1929, and later named for the Greek island of Ithaca.

    7385 Aktsynovia, provisional designation 1981 UQ11, is a background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately between 4 and 9 kilometers in diameter, depending on its assumed spectral type. It was discovered on 22 October 1981, by Soviet–Russian astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj on the Crimean peninsula.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1335 Demoulina</span> Stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt

    1335 Demoulina, provisional designation 1934 RE, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in 1934, the asteroid was named after Prof. Demoulin, a Belgian astronomer at Ghent University. It has a slower-than average spin rate of nearly 75 hours.

    2591 Dworetsky, provisional designation 1949 PS, is a stony asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter.

    3996 Fugaku, provisional designation 1988 XG1, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 December 1988, by Japanese amateur astronomers Masaru Arai and Hiroshi Mori at Yorii Observatory in central Japan. It was named for Mount Fuji, Japan.

    2571 Geisei, provisional designation 1981 UC, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Japanese astronomer Tsutomu Seki at Geisei Observatory on 23 October 1981, and named for the Japanese village of Geisei.

    2012 Guo Shou-Jing, provisional designation 1964 TE2, is a carbonaceous asteroid and Florian interloper from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 October 1964, by astronomers at the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanking, China. The asteroid was named after Chinese astronomer Guo Shoujing.

    1522 Kokkola, provisional designation 1938 WO, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 9.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 November 1938, by pioneering Finnish astronomer Liisi Oterma at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland. It was later named for the town of Kokkola.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1607 Mavis</span> Stony asteroid

    1607 Mavis, provisional designation 1950 RA, is a stony asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 September 1950, by South African astronomer Ernest Johnson at Johannesburg Observatory in South Africa. It was later named after the wife of astronomer Jacobus Bruwer.

    1376 Michelle, provisional designation 1935 UH, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 29 October 1935, by French astronomer Guy Reiss at the North African Algiers Observatory in Algeria. It is named for the discoverer's daughter, Michelle Reiss.

    1455 Mitchella, provisional designation 1937 LF, is a Florian asteroid, slow rotator and suspected tumbler from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 June 1937, by astronomer Alfred Bohrmann at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named after American astronomer Maria Mitchell.

    2043 Ortutay, provisional designation 1936 TH, is a dark asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 45 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered by Hungarian astronomer György Kulin at the Konkoly Observatory, Budapest, on 12 November 1936. It was named after Hungarian ethnographer Gyula Ortutay.

    1429 Pemba, provisional designation 1937 NH, is a stony background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 2 July 1937, by South African astronomer Cyril Jackson at the Union Observatory in Johannesburg. The asteroid was named for the Pemba Island off the coast of Tanzania.

    1209 Pumma is a Hygiean asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 30 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 April 1927, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named after the niece of astronomer Albrecht Kahrstedt.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1704 Wachmann</span> Main-belt asteroid

    1704 Wachmann, provisional designation A924 EE, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory on 7 March 1924. It was later named after astronomer Arno Wachmann.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">1422 Strömgrenia</span> Stony Florian asteroid

    1422 Strömgrenia, provisional designation 1936 QF, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 23 August 1936, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany, and named after Swedish-Danish astronomer Svante Elis Strömgren.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2017 Wesson (A903 SC)" (2017-04-26 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 10 June 2017.
    2. 1 2 3 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2017) Wesson". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2017) Wesson. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 163. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2018. ISBN   978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "LCDB Data for (2017) Wesson". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 8 December 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.
    5. 1 2 3 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 8 December 2016.
    6. 1 2 3 Wisniewski, W. Z. (March 1991). "Physical studies of small asteroids. I – Lightcurves and taxonomy of 10 asteroids". Icarus. 90 (1): 117–122. Bibcode:1991Icar...90..117W. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(91)90073-3. ISSN   0019-1035 . Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    7. 1 2 Kryszczynska, A.; Colas, F.; Polinska, M.; Hirsch, R.; Ivanova, V.; Apostolovska, G.; et al. (October 2012). "Do Slivan states exist in the Flora family?. I. Photometric survey of the Flora region". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 546: 51. Bibcode:2012A&A...546A..72K. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201219199 . Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    8. 1 2 Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (2017) Wesson". Geneva Observatory . Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    9. 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 8 December 2016.
    10. "2017 Wesson (A903 SC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
    11. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2009). "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008) . Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p.  221. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN   978-3-642-01964-7.