78431 Kemble

78431 Kemble
Discovery[1]
Discovered by A. Lowe
Discovery site Palomar Obs.
Discovery date 16 August 2002
Designations
MPC designation 78431 Kemble
Named after
Lucian Kemble
(Franciscan friar and
amateur astronomer)
[2]
2002 QJ50 · 1999 YC2
2001 EY26
main-belt[1]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 24.47 yr (8,938 days)   
Aphelion 2.8128 AU
Perihelion 2.0742 AU
2.4435 AU
Eccentricity 0.1511
3.82 yr (1,395 days)
327.16°
 15m 28.8s / day
Inclination 2.9948°
226.80°
356.29°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 2±1 km (calculated)[3]
16.7[1]

    78431 Kemble, provisional designation 2002 QJ50, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by astronomer Andrew Lowe on images taken at the U.S. Palomar Observatory, California, on 16 August 2002.[4]

    The asteroid has a well-observed orbit with the lowest possible uncertainty (U=0), and an observation arc that already begins 11 years prior to its discovery, due to a precovery taken at the Steward Observatory at Kitt Peak in 1991.[4] It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.1–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,395 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 3 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic. As of 2016, the asteroid's effective size, its composition and albedo, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.[1]

    Based on an absolute magnitude of 16.7, the asteroid is calculated to measure between 1 and 3 kilometers in diameter, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.[3] Since asteroids in the inner main-belt are often of a silicaceous rather than of a carbonaceous composition, with higher albedos, typically around 0.20, the asteroid's diameter might be on the lower end of NASA's published conversion table, as the higher the body's reflectivity (albedo), the smaller its diameter, for a given absolute magnitude (brightness).[3]

    The minor planet was named in honour of Father Lucian Kemble (1922–1999), who was a Franciscan friar and astronomer. His recorded main interest in astronomy was searching out deep sky objects and he was also known for his interest in asterisms such as Kemble's Cascade.[2][5][6] Naming citation was published on 18 September 2005 (M.P.C. 54828).[7]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 78431 Kemble (2002 QJ50)" (2016-04-02 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved April 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (78431) Kemble, Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2003–2005. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 231. ISBN 978-3-540-34360-8. Retrieved April 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Retrieved February 2016.
    4. 1 2 "78431 Kemble (2002 QJ50)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved February 2016.
    5. "Credits and Special Mentions – Father Lucian Kemble 1922–1999". The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Calgary Centre. Retrieved February 2016.
    6. Peter Bergbusch (June 1999). "Obituary - Father Lucian Kemble 1922–1999". Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada 93: 151. Bibcode:1999JRASC..93..151. Retrieved February 2016.
    7. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved April 2016.

    External links


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