| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Endate K. Watanabe |
| Discovery site | Kitami Obs. |
| Discovery date | 16 September 1993 |
| Designations | |
| (6980) Kyusakamoto | |
Named after | Kyu Sakamoto (Japanese singer) [2] |
| 1993 SV1 ·1979 WH7 1988 RU13 | |
| main-belt · Koronis [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 36.98 yr (13,508 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9663 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.7030 AU |
| 2.8347 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0464 |
| 4.77 yr (1,743 days) | |
| 62.052° | |
| 0° 12m 23.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.2909° |
| 97.461° | |
| 211.58° | |
| TJupiter | 3.3080 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 8.791±0.081 km [4] [5] 8.98 km (calculated) [3] |
| 3.2526±0.0042 h (R) [6] 3.2529±0.0042 h (S) [6] | |
| 0.24 (assumed) [3] 0.301±0.037 [4] [5] | |
| S [3] | |
| 12.2 [4] ·12.367±0.002(R) [6] ·12.4 [1] [3] ·12.45±0.07 [7] ·12.966±0.003(S) [6] | |
6980 Kyusakamoto, provisional designation 1993 SV1, is a stony Koronis asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Japanese astronomers Kin Endate and Kazuro Watanabe at Kitami Observatory on 16 September 1993. [8] The asteroid was named after Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto. [2]
Kyusakamoto is a member of the Koronis family, which is named after 158 Koronis and consists of about 300 known bodies with nearly ecliptical orbits. It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 9 months (1,743 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic. [1]
In November 1979, it was first identified as 1979 WH7 at Crimea–Nauchnij, extending the body's observation arc by 14 years prior to its official discovery observation at Kitami. [8]
In August 2012, a rotational lightcurve of Kyusakamoto was obtained through photometric observations at the Palomar Transient Factory, California. The lightcurve showed a period of 3.2529±0.0042 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.40 in magnitude (U=2 ). In the Mould-R filter (R), a different photometric band, the observations rendered a nearly identical period of 3.2526±0.0042 hours with an amplitude of 0.41 (U=2 ). [6]
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Kyusakamoto measures 8.8 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo of 0.30, [4] [5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a stony albedo of 0.24 and calculates a slightly larger diameter of 9.0 kilometers. [3]
This minor planet was named in memory of Japanese popular singer Kyu Sakamoto (1941–1985), who died in the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123, the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history. Adored as "Kyu-chan", he is best known for his hit, I Look Up As I Walk ("Sukiyaki"), which became a worldwide bestseller. The naming also refers to his collaborators Rokusuke Ei and Hachidai Nakamura, songwriter and pianist, respectively. [2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 5 October 1998 ( M.P.C. 32789). [9]
