| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Harvard University |
| Discovery site | Oak Ridge Obs. |
| Discovery date | 3 November 1975 |
| Designations | |
| (4776) Luyi | |
Named after | Luyi (Chinese town) [1] |
| 1975 VD ·1982 RD2 1982 UU | |
| main-belt [1] [2] ·(inner) background [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 42.21 yr (15,418 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.8529 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7765 AU |
| 2.3147 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2325 |
| 3.52 yr (1,286 d) | |
| 40.564° | |
| 0° 16m 47.64s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.3929° |
| 3.2435° | |
| 349.13° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 3.645±0.045 km [4] | |
| 0.305±0.030 [4] | |
| 14.3 [2] | |
4776 Luyi, provisional designation 1975 VD, is a bright background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 3 November 1975, by Harvard astronomers at the Oak Ridge Observatory in Massachusetts, United States. The asteroid was named for the Chinese town of Luyi, birthplace of Laozi who founded Taoism. [1] Luyi is also named after the son of Harvard astronomer Cheng-yuan Shao. [1]
Luyi is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population. [3] It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,286 days; semi-major axis of 2.31 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. [2] The body's observation arc begins with its first and official discovery observation at Oak Ridge. [1]
The asteroid has an absolute magnitude of 14.3. [2] Its spectral type is unknown. Based on its high albedo (see below), Luyi is a bright asteroid of the S-complex. As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown. [2]
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 3.645 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo of 0.30. [4]
This minor planet was named after a town in the eastern Henan province of China that was the birthplace of Laozi, founder of Taoism, because long-time participant in Harvard's minor-planet program, astronomer Cheng-yuan Shao (born 1927), came from that town (also see 1881 Shao). The asteroid is also named after his son, Luyi. [1]
The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 21 November 1991 ( M.P.C. 19339). [5]
