astro.wikisort.org - Asteroid

18610 Arthurdent, provisional designation 1998 CC₂, is an asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 February 1998, by a team of astronomers including Felix Hormuth at Starkenburg Observatory in Heppenheim, Germany.[5] The asteroid was named after Arthur Dent from Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.[2]

18610 Arthurdent

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	Starkenburg Obs.
Discovery site	Starkenburg Obs.
Discovery date	7 February 1998
Designations
MPC designation	(18610) Arthurdent
Named after	Arthur Dent (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)[2]
Alternative designations	1998 CC2 · 1990 EG3
Minor planet category	main-belt · (middle)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	28.06 yr (10,248 days)
Aphelion	3.0932 AU
Perihelion	2.0018 AU
Semi-major axis	2.5475 AU
Eccentricity	0.2142
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.07 yr (1,485 days)
Mean anomaly	321.77°
Mean motion	0° 14m 32.64s / day
Inclination	5.5878°
Longitude of ascending node	319.49°
Argument of perihelion	139.42°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	3 km (est. at 0.25)[3] 3.463±0.055 km[4]
Geometric albedo	0.234±0.020[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.4[1]

Orbit and classification

Arthurdent orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.0–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,485 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first known precovery image was taken during the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) at Palomar Observatory in 1988, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 10 years prior to its official discovery observation.[5]

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Arthurdent measures 3.5 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.234.[4] This agrees with a generic absolute magnitude-to-diameter conversion for a silicaceous asteroid (albedo of 0.25), which gives a diameter of approximately 3 kilometers for an absolute magnitude of 14.3.[3]

Rotation period

As of 2017, the Arthurdent's composition, rotation period and shape remain unknown.[1][6]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Arthur Dent, the bewildered hero of Douglas Adams's radio play and book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[7] The naming of the asteroid was announced by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) in its Minor Planet Circular on 9 May 2001 (M.P.C. 42677).[8][9] Two days later, Adams died of a heart attack in Santa Barbara, California.[10]

Coincidence with death

The near coincidence of these events led to some media reports of the asteroid naming appearing after Adams's death was reported, and to assumptions that the two events occurred on the same day, even by those connected to the naming: on 14 May 2001, German amateur astronomer Reiner Stoss at the Starkenburg Observatory wrote: "You may have heard the sad news that Douglas Adams passed away last Friday. By accident on the same day the naming of minor planet (18610) Arthurdent was announced by the Minor Planet Center. We wanted to make Mr. Adams a joy, but did never dare to think that he wouldn't be able to receive this surprise, when we sent our name proposal to the MPC a few months back."[11]

References

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (15001)-(20000) – Minor Planet Center
• 18610 Arthurdent at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 18610 Arthurdent at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters

На других языках

---

[de] (18610) Arthurdent

(18610) Arthurdent ist ein Asteroid im Asteroiden-Hauptgürtel.

---

- [en] 18610 Arthurdent

---

[ru] (18610) Артурдент

(18610) Артурдент (англ. Arthurdent) — астероид, входящий в Главный пояс астероидов. Был обнаружен Феликсом Хормутом в Штаркенбургской обсерватории 7 февраля 1998 года и получил предварительное название 1998 CC2, согласно системе именования малых планет. Назван в честь вымышленного персонажа по имени Артур Дент, героя серии юмористических научно-фантастических романов Дугласа Адамса, известной под общим названием «Путеводитель по галактике для путешествующих автостопом»[1].

---

---