2554 Skiff
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. Bowell |
| Discovery site | Anderson Mesa Station |
| Discovery date | 17 July 1980 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2554 Skiff |
Named after |
Brian Skiff (astronomer)[2] |
|
1980 OB · 1931 AB 1970 RE · 1976 GK8 1976 HV | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 62.46 yr (22,814 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5925 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9337 AU |
| 2.2631 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1455 |
| 3.40 yr (1,244 days) | |
| 185.68° | |
| 0° 17m 21.84s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.8617° |
| 296.42° | |
| 333.80° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
6.283±0.049 km[4] 7.82 km (calculated)[3] |
| 25.6±0.5 h[5] | |
|
0.4489±0.0796[4] 0.24 (assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
|
12.7[1][3] 12.5[4] 12.51±0.31[6] | |
|
| |
2554 Skiff, provisional designation 1980 OB, is a Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station, Arizona, on 17 July 1980.[7]
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.9–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,244 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Due to precovery observations made at Palomar Observatory in 1953, the asteroid has an observation arc of more than 60 years, while the first yet unused observation at Heidelberg Observatory dates back to 1931.[7]
In August 2014, a photometric light-curve analysis by Italian astronomers at the Franco Fuligni Observatory near Rome, rendered a provisional rotation period of 25.6±0.5 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.32 in magnitude (U=1).[5] According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 6.3 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an exceptionally high albedo of 0.44.[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL), however, assumes an albedo of 0.24, derived from the family's principal body and namesake, the asteroid 8 Flora, and calculates a larger diameter of 7.8 kilometers.[3]
The minor planet was named in honor of American astronomer Brian Skiff, discoverer more than 50 asteroids. He significantly contributed to Lowell's asteroid astrometry program, including the rediscovery of the 800-meter potentially hazardous object 69230 Hermes, a long lost asteroid.[2][8]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2554 Skiff (1980 OB)" (2016-03-03 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved March 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2554) Skiff. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 209. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved March 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (2554) Skiff". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved March 2016.
- 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 March 2016.
- 1 2 Tomassini, Angelo; Scardella, Maurizio; Zampetti, Fabio (April 2015). "Rotation Period Determination of 2554 Skiff and 3107 Weaver". The Minor Planet Bulletin 42 (2): 100–101. Bibcode:2015MPBu...42..100T. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved March 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 March 2016.
- 1 2 "2554 Skiff (1980 OB)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved March 2016.
- ↑ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 23 March 2016. Retrieved March 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 (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 2554 Skiff at the JPL Small-Body Database
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