24101 Cassini
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. W. Juels |
| Discovery site | Fountain Hills Obs. |
| Discovery date | 9 November 1999 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 24101 Cassini |
Named after |
Giovanni Cassini (astronomer)[2] |
|
1999 VA9 · 1926 XH 1926 YB · 1986 RS16 1986 TM15 | |
| main-belt · (middle) [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 88.68 yr (32,390 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.4629 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8272 AU |
| 2.6450 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3092 |
| 4.30 yr (1,571 days) | |
| 252.42° | |
| 0° 13m 44.76s / day | |
| Inclination | 15.474° |
| 176.57° | |
| 255.83° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
7.051±0.352 km[4] 11.05 km (calculated)[3] |
| 3.986±0.001 h[lower-alpha 1][5] | |
|
0.2458±0.0529[4] 0.10 (assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
|
12.9[1][3] 13.05±0.23[6] | |
|
| |
24101 Cassini, provisional designation 1999 VA9, is an eccentric, stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 November 1999, by American amateur astronomer Charles Juels at the U.S. Fountain Hills Observatory (678), Arizona.[7]
The S-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.8–3.5 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,571 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.31 and an inclination of 15° with respect to the plane of the ecliptic.[1]
In 2009 a photometric light-curve analysis at the private U.S. Shed of Science Observatory (H39), Minnesota, and by Italian astronomer Silvano Casulli, rendered a well-defined rotation period of 3.986±0.001 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.12 in magnitude (U=3/-3).[lower-alpha 1][5] According to observations carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 7.1 kilometer in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.25.[4] However, the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes an untypically low albedo of only 0.10 and correspondingly, calculates a diameter of 11.1 kilometers, as the lower the body's albedo (reflectivity), the larger its diameter at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).[3]
The minor planet was named in honor of Italian-born French astronomer Giovanni Cassini (1625–1712), who was the first director of the Paris Observatory from 1671 until his death. He discovered the four moons of Saturn – Iapetus, Rhea, Tethys and Dione – the major gap in its rings, known as Cassini Division, and was the first to write down observations of the zodiacal light. The Cassini–Huygens spacecraft is named after him and Christiaan Huygens.[2] The lunar and Martian craters Cassini are also named in his honor.
References
- 1 2 Durkee (2011) web: rotation period 3.986±0.001 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.12 mag. Summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) for (24101) Cassini and at Shed of Science (S
.O .S .) Observatory
- 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 24101 Cassini (1999 VA9)" (2015-08-30 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved January 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (24101) Cassini. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 873. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved January 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (24101) Cassini". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved January 2016.
- 1 2 3 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 January 2016.
- 1 2 Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (24101) Cassini". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved January 2016.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "24101 Cassini (1999 VA9)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved January 2016.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (20001)-(25000) – Minor Planet Center
- 24101 Cassini at the JPL Small-Body Database
| ||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||