astro.wikisort.org - Asteroid

4942 Munroe, provisional designation 1987 DU₆, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 February 1987, by Belgian astronomer Henri Debehogne at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile, and later named after American cartoonist and former NASA roboticist Randall Munroe.[2]

4942 Munroe

Orbital diagram of Munroe
Discovery [1]
Discovered by	H. Debehogne
Discovery site	La Silla Obs.
Discovery date	24 February 1987
Designations
MPC designation	(4942) Munroe
Named after	Randall Munroe (American cartoonist)[2]
Alternative designations	1987 DU6 · 1955 MS 1971 GE · 1990 CB
Minor planet category	main-belt · (inner)
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	61.76 yr (22,559 days)
Aphelion	2.5000 AU
Perihelion	1.9026 AU
Semi-major axis	2.2013 AU
Eccentricity	0.1357
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.27 yr (1,193 days)
Mean anomaly	9.2509°
Mean motion	0° 18m 6.48s / day
Inclination	3.8333°
Longitude of ascending node	278.09°
Argument of perihelion	11.227°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	3.453±0.139 km[3]
Geometric albedo	0.936±0.183[3]
Spectral type	SMASS = X [1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.5[1]

Orbit and classification

Munroe orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,193 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first identified as 1955 MS at the Leiden Southern Station (Johannesburg-Hartbeespoort) in 1955, extending the body's observation arc by 32 years prior to its official discovery observation.[2]

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS taxonomy, Munroe is characterized as an X-type asteroid. It has an absolute magnitude of 13.5.[1]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Munroe measures 3.453 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an exceptionally high albedo of 0.936.[3] On his private blog, Randall Munroe (after whom the asteroid is named) calculates that the asteroid is between 6 and 10 kilometers in diameter, comparable in size to the Chicxulub asteroid.[4]

Lightcurves

As of 2017, Munroe's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.[1][5]

Naming

In 2013, it was named after Randall Munroe (born 1984), a former NASA roboticist and the author of the webcomic xkcd.[6] The name was chosen by xkcd readers Lewis Hulbert and Jordan Zhu.[7] The official naming citation was published on 22 July 2013 (M.P.C. 84378).[8]

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 (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
• 4942 Munroe at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 4942 Munroe at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters

На других языках

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[de] (4942) Munroe

(4942) Munroe ist ein Asteroid im Asteroidengürtel zwischen den Planeten Mars und Jupiter. Er wurde am 24. Februar 1987 vom belgischen Astronom Henri Debehogne entdeckt. Im Jahr 2013 wurde der Asteroid nach Randall Munroe, dem Autor des Webcomics xkcd, benannt.[1]

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- [en] 4942 Munroe

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