78816 Caripito
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | J. Dellinger |
| Discovery site | Needville Obs. |
| Discovery date | 4 August 2003 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 78816 Caripito |
Named after |
Caripito (Venezuelan town)[2] |
| 2003 PZ9 | |
| main-belt | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 22840 days (62.53 yr) |
| Aphelion | 3.8479 AU (575.64 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.4322 AU (363.85 Gm) |
| 3.1401 AU (469.75 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.22542 |
| 5.56 yr (2032.4 d) | |
| 56.539° | |
| 0.17713°/day | |
| Inclination | 5.6229° |
| 278.28° | |
| 86.397° | |
| Earth MOID | 1.43663 AU (214.917 Gm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.69403 AU (253.423 Gm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2–5 km (calculated)[3] |
| 15.4[1] | |
|
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78816 Caripito, provisional designation 2003 PZ9, is an asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, roughly 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American amateur astronomer and professor of geophysics, Joseph Dellinger, at the U.S. Needville Observatory, Texas, on 4 August 2003.[4]
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.4–3.8 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,032 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 6° with respect to 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 15.4, the asteroid is calculated to measure between 2 and 5 kilometers in diameter, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.[3] Since asteroids in the outer main-belt are mostly of a carbonaceous rather than of a silicaceous composition, with low albedos, typically around 0.06, the asteroid's diameter might be on the upper end of NASA's published conversion table, as the lower the body's reflectivity (albedo), the larger its diameter, for a given absolute magnitude (brightness).[3]
This minor planet is named for the Venzuelan town of Caripito in the country's Monagas state, located on the San Juan river near the Gulf of Paria. From the 1930s through the 1960s it served as a camp town for the Quiriquire oil field. It was the place where the parents of the discoverer, Thomas Baynes Dellinger (b. 1926) and María de la Garza Cantú (b. 1928), met in 1949.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 78816 Caripito (2003 PZ9)" (2016-02-09 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (78816) Caripito [3.13, 0.23, 5.6]. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 232. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved March 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Retrieved March 2016.
- ↑ "78816 Caripito (2003 PZ9)". Minor Planet Center. 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 (75001)-(80000) – Minor Planet Center
- 78816 Caripito at the JPL Small-Body Database
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