11252 Laërtes

11252 Laërtes
Discovery [1]
Discovered by C. J. van Houten
I. van Houten-G.
T. Gehrels
Discovery date 19 September 1973
Designations
MPC designation 11252 Laërtes
Named after
 Laërtes
(Greek mythology)[2]
1973 SA2 · 1977 AY2
Jupiter trojan[1][3]
(Greek camp)
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 64.34 yr (23,500 days)
Aphelion 5.2956 AU
Perihelion 4.9946 AU
5.1451 AU
Eccentricity 0.0292
11.67 yr (4,263 days)
170.27°
0° 5m 3.84s / day
Inclination 5.8572°
78.325°
326.38°
Jupiter MOID 0.0502 AU
Jupiter Tisserand parameter 2.989
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 41.09±5.97 km[4]
42.23 km (calculated)[3]
9.15±0.03 h[5]
0.060±0.030[4]
0.057 (assumed)[3]
C [3]
10.6[1][3][4]
10.76±0.25[6]

    11252 Laërtes, provisional designation 1973 SA2, is a carbonaceous Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 42 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 September 1973, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at the U.S. Palomar Observatory in California.[7]

    The dark C-type asteroid is orbiting in the leading Greek camp at Jupiter's L4 Lagrangian point, 60° ahead of its orbit (see Trojans in astronomy). It orbits the Sun at a distance of 5.0–5.3 AU once every 11 years and 8 months (4,263 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.03 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the plane of the ecliptic.[1] Due to a precovery at the discovering Palomar Observatory in 1951, the asteroid's observation arc starts more than two decades before its actual discovery.[7]

    In 2015, a rotational light-curve was obtained by astronomer Robert Stevens at the U.S. Center for Solar System Studies (CS3), California. The photometric observations showed a rotation period of 9.15±0.03 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.18 in magnitude (U=2).[5] According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 41.1 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.060.[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous bodies of 0.057, and calculates a diameter of 42.2 kilometers.[3]

    As an anomaly, the asteroid did not receive a typical survey designation, although it was discovered in 1973, when the discovering trio of astronomers were conducting their second Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey ("T-2").

    The minor planet was named for Laërtes, the king of Ithaca, Argonaut, husband of Anticleia, and father of Odysseus. The father of Laërtes was Arcisius, a son of the sky and thunder god and ruler of Mount Olympus, Zeus. The minor planets 651 Antikleia, 1143 Odysseus, 1151 Ithaka, 5731 Zeus were all named after these figures and places from Greek mythology.[2]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 11252 Laertes (1973 SA2)" (2016-03-11 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved April 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (11252) Laërtes. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 757. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved April 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (11252) Laertes". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved April 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 April 2016.
    5. 1 2 Stephens, Robert D.; Coley, Daniel, R.; French, Linda M. (January 2016). "Large L5 Jovian Trojan Asteroid Lightcurves from the Center for Solar System Studies". The Minor Planet Bulletin 43 (1): 15–22. Bibcode:2016MPBu...43...15S. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved April 2016.
    6. ↑ 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 April 2016.
    7. 1 2 "11252 Laertes (1973 SA2)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved April 2016.

    External links

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