astro.wikisort.org - Asteroid

4776 Luyi, provisional designation 1975 VD, is a bright background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 3 November 1975, by Harvard astronomers at the Oak Ridge Observatory in Massachusetts, United States. The asteroid was named for the Chinese town of Luyi, birthplace of Laozi who founded Taoism.[1] Luyi is also named after the son of Harvard astronomer Cheng-yuan Shao.[1]

4776 Luyi

Discovery [1]
Discovered by	Harvard University
Discovery site	Oak Ridge Obs.
Discovery date	3 November 1975
Designations
MPC designation	(4776) Luyi
Named after	Luyi (Chinese town) [1]
Alternative designations	1975 VD · 1982 RD2 1982 UU
Minor planet category	main-belt [1][2] · (inner) background [3]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	42.21 yr (15,418 d)
Aphelion	2.8529 AU
Perihelion	1.7765 AU
Semi-major axis	2.3147 AU
Eccentricity	0.2325
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.52 yr (1,286 d)
Mean anomaly	40.564°
Mean motion	0° 16m 47.64s / day
Inclination	5.3929°
Longitude of ascending node	3.2435°
Argument of perihelion	349.13°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	3.645±0.045 km[4]
Geometric albedo	0.305±0.030[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.3[2]

Orbit and classification

Luyi is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[3] It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,286 days; semi-major axis of 2.31 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with its first and official discovery observation at Oak Ridge.[1]

Physical characteristics

The asteroid has an absolute magnitude of 14.3.[2] Its spectral type is unknown. Based on its high albedo (see below), Luyi is a bright asteroid of the S-complex. As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.[2]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 3.645 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo of 0.30.[4]

Naming

This minor planet was named after a town in the eastern Henan province of China that was the birthplace of Laozi, founder of Taoism, because long-time participant in Harvard's minor-planet program, astronomer Cheng-yuan Shao (born 1927), came from that town (also see 1881 Shao). The asteroid is also named after his son, Luyi.[1]

The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19339).[5]

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
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
• 4776 Luyi at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 4776 Luyi at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters

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