12374 Rakhat

12374 Rakhat
Discovery [1]
Discovered by C. P. de Saint-Aignan
Discovery site Palomar Obs.
Discovery date 15 May 1994
Designations
MPC designation 12374 Rakhat
Named after
 fictional planet
(novel The Sparrow)[2]
1994 JG9 · 1958 TP
1974 OP · 1978 NV2
main-belt · (inner) [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 61.28 yr (22,383 days)
Aphelion 3.3340 AU
Perihelion 1.7667 AU
2.5504 AU
Eccentricity 0.3072
4.07 yr (1,488 days)
51.947°
0° 14m 30.84s / day
Inclination 8.9859°
123.46°
201.99°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 4.570±0.034 km[4]
4.38 km (calculated)[3]
18.1702±0.0205 h[5]
0.2124±0.0295[4]
0.20 (assumed)[3]
S [3]
13.8[1]
14.16[3]
14.0[4]
13.707±0.005 (R)[5]
14.60±0.76[6]

    12374 Rakhat, provisional designation 1994 JG9, is an eccentric, stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 May 1994, by American astronomer and software engineer Charles de Saint-Aignan at the U.S. Palomar Observatory in California.[7]

    Orbital diagram

    The S-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.8–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,488 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.31 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the plane of the ecliptic.[1]

    In 2016, a rotational light-curve was obtained from photometric observations made at the U.S. Palomar Transient Factory in 2010. The light-curve showed a rotation period of 18.1702±0.0205 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.31 in magnitude (U=2).[5] According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 4.6 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.21,[4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 4.4 kilometers.[3]

    The minor planet was named "Rakhat" after the fictional planet in the novel The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.[2] The novel begins in 2019, when SETI at the Arecibo, picks up radio broadcasts of music from this planet in the vicinity of Alpha Centauri. The first expedition is organized by the Jesuit order, known for its missionary, linguistic and scientific activities. The novel was followed by the sequel Children of God.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 12374 Rakhat (1994 JG9)" (2016-03-06 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved April 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (12374) Rakhat. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 780–781. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_8579. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (12374) Rakhat". 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.
    5. 1 2 3 Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75.
    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.
    7. ↑ "12374 Rakhat (1994 JG9)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved April 2016.

    External links


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