Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | C. W. Juels |
Discovery site | Fountain Hills Obs. |
Discovery date | 30 November 2000 |
Designations | |
(20898) Fountainhills | |
Named after | Fountain Hills [1] (U.S. city in Arizona) |
2000 WE147 ·1975 BE 1994 NA1 | |
main-belt [1] [2] ·(outer) [2] [3] background [4] ·ACO [5] : 872 | |
Orbital characteristics [2] | |
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 66.49 yr (24,285 d) |
Aphelion | 6.1881 AU |
Perihelion | 2.2572 AU |
4.2226 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.4654 |
8.68 yr (3,169 d) | |
328.44° | |
0° 6m 48.96s / day | |
Inclination | 45.523° |
293.19° | |
234.78° | |
Jupiter MOID | 0.5295 AU |
TJupiter | 2.3490 |
Physical characteristics | |
37.08 km (derived) [3] 37.31±1.1 km [6] 41.53±0.85 km [7] | |
12.84±0.03 h [8] | |
0.0200 (derived) [3] 0.037±0.007 [7] 0.0505±0.003 [6] | |
D [3] [5] B–V = 0.767±0.008 [9] V–R = 0.428±0.010 [9] V–I = 0.826±0.008 [9] | |
11.0 [6] ·11.10 [2] [7] 12.02 [3] [8] | |
20898 Fountainhills (provisional designation 2000 WE147) is a dark asteroid in a cometary orbit (ACO) from the outermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 37 kilometers (23 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 30 November 2000, by American amateur astronomer Charles W. Juels at the Fountain Hills Observatory in Arizona, United States. [1] The D-type asteroid has a rotation period of 12.84 hours. [3] It was named for the city of Fountain Hills, Arizona, in the United States. [1]
Fountainhills is a non-family from the main belt's background population. [4] For an object in the asteroid belt, its orbit is extremely eccentric and highly inclined. With a Jupiter tisserand (TJupiter) of less than 3 and with no observable coma, it is an asteroid in cometary orbit (ACO) and a candidate for being a dormant or extinct comet. [5] It is however, not a damocloid based on current orbital criteria, which typically have a TJupiter of less than 2 (also see List of damocloids).
The asteroid orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.3–6.2 AU once every 8 years and 8 months (3,169 days; semi-major axis of 4.22 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.47 and an inclination of 46° with respect to the ecliptic. [2] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory during the Digitized Sky Survey in July 1951, more than 49 years prior to its official discovery observation at Fountain Hills. [1]
Fountainhills is the second most eccentric object as large as it is inside the orbit of Jupiter (after 1036 Ganymed), and the most highly inclined object of its size within the orbit of Jupiter. While its aphelion is outside that of Jupiter's orbit, it is so highly inclined that its furthest point from the Sun is far out of the ecliptic.[ citation needed ]
Fountainhills has been characterized as a dark D-type asteroid in a study of asteroids in cometary orbits using the Nordic Optical Telescope at Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on the Canary Island, Spain. [5]
In January 2001, a rotational lightcurve of Fountainhills was obtained from photometric observations by American amateur astronomer Bill Holliday at River Oaks Observatory ( 915 ) in Texas. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 12.84 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.20 magnitude ( U=3 ). [8]
According to the survey carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, and on data obtained by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Fountainhills measures between 37.31 and 41.53 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.037 and 0.0505. [6] [7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.02 and a diameter of 37.08 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.02. [3]
This minor planet was named after the town of Fountain Hills, located near the Sonoran desert on the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, home to one of the world's tallest water fountains. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 9 May 2001 ( M.P.C. 42678). [10]
944 Hidalgo is a centaur and unusual object on an eccentric, cometary-like orbit between the asteroid belt and the outer Solar System, approximately 52 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by German astronomer Walter Baade in 1920, it is the first member of the dynamical class of centaurs ever to be discovered. The dark D-type object has a rotation period of 10.1 hours and likely an elongated shape. It was named after Mexican revolutionary Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
1373 Cincinnati, provisional designation 1935 QN, is an asteroid in a comet-like orbit from the Cybele region, located at the outermost rim of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was the only asteroid discovery made by famous American astronomer Edwin Hubble, while observing distant galaxies at Mount Wilson Observatory in California on 30 August 1935. The rather spherical X-type asteroid has a rotation period of 5.3 hours. It was named for the Cincinnati Observatory.
20461 Dioretsa is a centaur and damocloid on a retrograde, cometary-like orbit from the outer Solar System. It was discovered on 8 June 1999, by members of the LINEAR team at the Lincoln Laboratory Experimental Test Site near Socorro, New Mexico, United States. The highly eccentric unusual object measures approximately 14 kilometers in diameter. It was named Dioretsa, the word "asteroid" spelled backwards.
555 Norma, provisional designation 1905 PT, is a background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 33 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 14 January 1905, by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named after the title character of Bellini's opera Norma.
748 Simeïsa is a very large Hilda asteroid from the outermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 104 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 14 March 1913, by Russian astronomer Grigory Neujmin at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The dark P-type asteroid has a rotation period of 11.9 hours and a shape that is reminiscent of a tetrahedron. It was the first asteroid discovery made in Russia and named after the discovering observatory and its nearby Crimean town, Simeiz.
830 Petropolitana is a bright background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 25 August 1916, by Russian astronomer Grigory Neujmin at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The stony S-type asteroid has a long rotation period of 39.0 hours and measures approximately 41 kilometers in diameter. It was named after the Russian city of Saint Petersburg.
909 Ulla is a large and dark asteroid from the outermost regions of the asteroid belt, that measures approximately 116 kilometers in diameter. It is the parent body and namesake of the Ulla family, which belongs to the larger group of Cybele asteroids. It was discovered on 7 February 1919, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The X-type asteroid has a rotation period of 8.7 hours and a notably low value for its Jupiter Tisserand's parameter. It was named after Ulla Ahrens, daughter of a friend of the discoverer.
1952 Hesburgh, provisional designation 1951 JC, is a rare-type carbonaceous asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 37 kilometers in diameter.
1213 Algeria is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 32 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by Guy Reiss at Algiers Observatory in 1931, it was named after the North African country of Algeria.
4946 Askalaphus ( ə-SKAL-ə-fəs; prov. designation: 1988 BW1) is a Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 52 kilometers (32 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 21 January 1988 by American astronomer couple Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California. The dark D-type asteroid belongs to the 100 largest Jupiter trojans and has a rotation period of 22.7 hours. It was named after Ascalaphus from Greek mythology.
1362 Griqua, provisional designation 1935 QG1 is a dark, Jupiter-resonant background asteroid on an eccentric, cometary-like orbit and the namesake of the Griqua group, located in the Hecuba gap in the outermost region of the asteroid belt. The carbonaceous asteroid measures approximately 28 kilometers (17 miles) in diameter and has a rotation period of 6.9 hours. It was discovered on 31 July 1935, by South-African astronomer Cyril Jackson at Union Observatory in Johannesburg. The asteroid was named after the Griqua people in South Africa and Namibia.
1693 Hertzsprung is a dark and elongated background asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 39 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 May 1935, by Dutch astronomer Hendrik van Gent at the Leiden Southern Station, annex to the Johannesburg Observatory in South Africa.
3451 Mentor is a large Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately 120 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 April 1984, by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at the Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic. The uncommon Jovian X-type asteroid is one of the largest Jupiter trojans and has a rotation period of 7.7 hours. It was named after Mentor from Greek mythology. Mentor, a man who was rich in horse at Pedaeus. He was the father of the spearman Imbrius, an ally of the Trojans.
3688 Navajo, provisional designation 1981 FD, is a Griqua asteroid and a 2:1 Jupiter librator on an eccentric, cometary-like orbit from the outermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 30 March 1981, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at the Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona. The dark P-type asteroid was named for the Native American Navajo people.
1484 Postrema, provisional designation 1938 HC, is a carbonaceous Postremian asteroid and namesake of the Postrema family from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 41 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 29 April 1938, by Soviet astronomer Grigory Neujmin at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The name "Postrema" celebrates the astronomer's last minor planet discovery.
1493 Sigrid, provisional designation 1938 QB, is a dark Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 24 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 August 1938, by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle. It was named after Sigrid Strömgren, wife of astronomer Bengt Strömgren.
(127546) 2002 XU93, provisional designation 2002 XU93, is a trans-Neptunian object and centaur on highly inclined and eccentric orbit in the outer region of the Solar System. It measures approximately 170 kilometers (110 mi) in diameter and is one of few objects with such an unusual orbit. It was discovered on 4 December 2002, by American astronomer Marc Buie at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona, United States.
(457175) 2008 GO98 (provisional designation 2008 GO98) with cometary number 362P, is a Jupiter family comet in a quasi-Hilda orbit within the outermost regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 8 April 2008, by astronomers of the Spacewatch program at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. This presumably carbonaceous body has a diameter of approximately 15 kilometers (9 miles) and rotation period of 10.7 hours.
(20729) 1999 XS143 (provisional designation 1999 XS143) is a Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 51 kilometers (32 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 15 December 1999, by American astronomer Charles Juels at the Fountain Hills Observatory in Arizona. The dark Jovian asteroid has a short rotation period of 5.72 hours and belongs to the 90 largest Jupiter trojans. It has not been named since its numbering in January 2001.
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