1722 Goffin, provisional designation 1938 EG, is a stony asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 10.3 kilometers in diameter.

1722 Goffin
Discovery[1]
Discovered byE. Delporte
Discovery siteUccle Obs.
Discovery date23 February 1938
Designations
(1722) Goffin
Named after
Edwin Goffin
(amateur astronomer)[2]
1938 EG · 1942 DJ
1950 HK · 1952 SW
1952 UQ · 1960 WB
1964 UF · 1964 VD1
main-belt · (middle)[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc79.09 yr (28,889 days)
Aphelion2.6369 AU
Perihelion2.3902 AU
2.5135 AU
Eccentricity0.0491
3.99 yr (1,456 days)
42.038°
0° 14m 50.28s / day
Inclination5.4668°
168.12°
283.20°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions10.290±0.118[4]
10.44 km (taken)[3]
10.442 km[5]
10.446±0.130 km[6]
28.8±1.0 h[a]
31 h[7]
0.2175[5]
0.2191±0.0165[6]
0.224±0.041[4]
S(est.)[7] · S[3]
B–V = 0.890[1]
12.18[3][5][6][a] · 12.30[1] · 12.34[7]

It was discovered on 23 February 1938, by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle, Belgium.[8] It was later named after Belgian amateur astronomer Edwin Goffin, following a suggestion by Jean Meeus.[2]

Orbit and classification edit

Minor planet 1722 Goffin orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.4–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 12 months (1,456 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The body's observation arc begins 6 days after its official discovery observation.[8]

Physical characteristics edit

It is an assumed S-type asteroid, one of the most common spectral types.[3][7]

Lightcurves edit

(1722)'s first rotational lightcurve was obtained by American astronomer Richard P. Binzel at UT Austin in October 1984. It gave a rotation period of 31 hours and an brightness variation of 0.63 magnitude (U=2),[7] while Czech astronomers Petr Pravec and Adrián Galád at Ondřejov Observatory derived a period of 28.8 hours with and amplitude of 0.6 magnitude using Binzel's photmetric observations (U=n.a.).[a]

Diameter and albedo edit

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Goffin measures 10.29 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.224 (using the 2014-published revised near-infrared albedo fits),[4] superseding a preliminary published diameter of 10.446 kilometers.[6] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link takes Petr Pravec's 2012-revised WISE data, that gave an albedo of 0.2175 and a diameter of 10.442 kilometers.[3][5]

Naming edit

This minor planet was named in honor of the Belgian amateur astronomer Edwin Goffin (born 1950), who has made extensive computations involving minor-planet orbits, and whose initials are indicated by the body's provisional designation, 1938 EG.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 8 April 1982 (M.P.C. 6832).[9]

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c Pravec (1984) web: rotation period 28.8±1.0 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.6 mag. Quality code is not available. Summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) for (1722) Goffin and Pravec, P.; Wolf, M.; Sarounova, L. (1984)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1722 Goffin (1938 EG)" (2017-03-29 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1722) Goffin". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1722) Goffin. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 137. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1723. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (1722) Goffin". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d Pravec, Petr; Harris, Alan W.; Kusnirák, Peter; Galád, Adrián; Hornoch, Kamil (September 2012). "Absolute magnitudes of asteroids and a revision of asteroid albedo estimates from WISE thermal observations". Icarus. 221 (1): 365–387. Bibcode:2012Icar..221..365P. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.026. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90.
  7. ^ a b c d e Binzel, R. P. (October 1987). "A photoelectric survey of 130 asteroids". Icarus. 72 (1): 135–208. Bibcode:1987Icar...72..135B. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(87)90125-4. ISSN 0019-1035. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  8. ^ a b "1722 Goffin (1938 EG)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  9. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 December 2016.

External links edit