4324 Bickel

4324 Bickel
Discovery [1]
Discovered by L. G. Taff
Discovery site MRO
Discovery date 24 December 1981
Designations
MPC designation 4324 Bickel
Named after
 Wolf Bickel
(amateur astronomer)[2]
1981 YA1 · 1932 UD
1932 WE · 1948 SD
1948 TK2 · 1964 PE
1966 DC · 1972 NF
1973 YR3 · 1985 XX
A924 YC
main-belt · (inner) [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 91.22 yr (33,317 days)
Aphelion 3.0527 AU
Perihelion 2.0374 AU
2.5451 AU
Eccentricity 0.1994
4.06 yr (1,483 days)
174.74°
0° 14m 33.72s / day
Inclination 7.7764°
292.79°
108.78°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 11.65±0.56 km[4]
12.39 km (calculated)[3]
26.592±0.003 h[5]
26.5 h[6]
16 h[5]
0.248±0.020[4]
0.20 (assumed)[3]
S [3]
11.9[1][3]
11.80[4]
12.37±0.29[7]

    4324 Bickel, provisional designation 1981 YA1, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Laurence Taff at the U.S. Magdalena Ridge Observatory, New Mexico, on 24 December 1981.[2]

    The S-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,483 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.20 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Due to precoveries taken at Heidelberg Observatory in 1924, the asteroid's observation arc begins long before its actual discovery.[2]

    In 2001, the first ever conducted photometric light-curve analysis of this asteroid at the Rozhen Observatory, Bulgaria, gave a rotation period of 26.5 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.63 in magnitude (U=2). A more refined light-curve observation in 2005, by Raymond Poncy, Laurent Bernasconi and Rui Goncalves, rendered a period of 26.592±0.003 hours with an amplitude of 0.72 in magnitude (U=3).[5]

    According to observations by NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 11.7 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.248,[4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a slightly larger diameter of 12.4 kilometers.[3]

    The minor planet is named in honor of German amateur astronomer Wolf Bickel (b. 1942) who began observing minor planets at his private Bergisch Gladbach Observatory in 1995. At the time this minor planet was named, he had discovered more than 540 numbered minor planets.[2] Bickel has become Germany's most prolific discoverer of asteroids, ahead of (professional) astronomer Freimut Börngen, the first time in 150 years, that an amateur astronomer is ranking first among the German top discoverers.[8] His total number of discoveries has since increased to more than 645.[9]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4324 Bickel (1981 YA1)" (2016-03-11 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved April 2016.
    2. 1 2 3 4 "4324 Bickel (1981 YA1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved April 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (4324) Bickel". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved April 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 4 Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. Retrieved April 2016.
    5. 1 2 3 Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (4324) Bickel". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved April 2016.
    6. ↑ Ivanova, V. G.; Apostolovska, G.; Borisov, G. B.; Bilkina, B. I. (November 2002). "Results from photometric studies of asteroids at Rozhen National Observatory, Bulgaria". In: Proceedings of Asteroids: 505–508. Bibcode:2002ESASP.500..505I. Retrieved April 2016.
    7. ↑ 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.
    8. ↑ "Bickel überholt Börngen – die erfolgreichsten deutschen Kleinplanetenentdecker" [Bickel overtakes Börgen – Most prolific German discoverers of minor planets] (PDF). VdS-Journal – Vereinigung der Sternfreunde. April 2013. pp. 80–83. Retrieved April 2016.
    9. ↑ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 23 March 2016. Retrieved April 2016.

    External links


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