astro.wikisort.org - Asteroid

7959 Alysecherri, provisional designation 1994 PK, is a bright, stony Hungaria asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 2 August 1994, by American astronomer Carl Hergenrother at Steward Observatory's Catalina Station on Mt Bigelow near Tucson, Arizona.[6] The asteroid was named for the discoverer's wife, Alyse Cherri.[2]

7959 Alysecherri

Discovery [1]
Discovered by	C. W. Hergenrother
Discovery site	Catalina Stn.
Discovery date	2 August 1994
Designations
MPC designation	(7959) Alysecherri
Named after	Alyse Cherri Smith (wife of discoverer)[2]
Alternative designations	1994 PK
Minor planet category	main-belt · Hungaria [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	65.30 yr (23,850 days)
Aphelion	2.1094 AU
Perihelion	1.7760 AU
Semi-major axis	1.9427 AU
Eccentricity	0.0858
Orbital period (sidereal)	2.71 yr (989 days)
Mean anomaly	169.49°
Mean motion	0° 21m 50.4s / day
Inclination	19.263°
Longitude of ascending node	235.79°
Argument of perihelion	100.40°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	3.05 km (calculated)[3]
Synodic rotation period	3.161±0.005 h[4]
Geometric albedo	0.30 (assumed)[3]
Spectral type	E [3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.5[1][3] · 15.09±0.63[5]

Orbit and classification

The E-type asteroid is a member of the Hungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.1 AU once every 2 years and 9 months (989 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 19° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1951, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 43 years prior to its discovery.[6]

Physical characteristics

A rotational lightcurve for this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations made by American astronomer Brian Warner at the U.S. Palmer Divide Observatory, Colorado, in July 2013. It gave a rotation period of 3.161±0.005 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.13 in magnitude (U=2).[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.30 and calculates a diameter of 3.05 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.5.[3]

Naming

This minor planet is named after the maiden name of the discovering astronomer's wife, Alyse Cherri Smith.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 13 November 2008 (M.P.C. 64311).[7]

References

External links

• The Palmer Divide Observatory: Tour given by Brian Warner on YouTube (time 4:03 min.)
• 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 (5001)-(10000) – Minor Planet Center
• 7959 Alysecherri at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 7959 Alysecherri at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters

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