116903 Jeromeapt (provisional designation 2004 GW) is an asteroid of the Massalia family from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 11 April 2004, by American astronomer Jim Young at the Table Mountain Observatory near Wrightwood, California, in the United States. The asteroid was named for American astronaut Jerome Apt.[1]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | J. W. Young |
| Discovery site | Table Mountain Obs. |
| Discovery date | 11 April 2004 |
| Designations | |
| (116903) Jeromeapt | |
Named after | Jerome Apt[1] (American astronaut) |
| 2004 GW · 2001 RS104 | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (inner) Massalia[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 17.80 yr (6,501 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.8746 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0238 AU |
| 2.4492 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1737 |
| 3.83 yr (1,400 d) | |
| 265.16° | |
| 0° 15m 25.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.5343° |
| 147.08° | |
| 128.95° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 1.1 km (est. at 0.22)[4] |
| 17.1[1][2] | |
Orbit and classification edit
Jeromeapt is a member of the Massalia family (404),[3] a large family of stony S-type asteroids with low inclinations. It orbits the sun in the inner main belt at a distance of 2.0–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,400 days; semi-major axis of 2.45 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The asteroid's observation arc begins more than 2 years prior to its official discovery observation, with a precovery taken by Spacewatch at the Steward Observatory in February 2002.[1]
Naming edit
This minor planet was named in honor of American Jerome Apt (born 1949), who was the discovering observatory's director and also an astronaut on four Space Shuttle missions in the 1990s. At the time of naming this asteroid, he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center 29 October 2012 (M.P.C. 81070).[5]
Physical characteristics edit
Since Massalia asteroids are of silicaceous rather than carbonaceous composition, with an albedo typically around 0.22 (also see list of families),[6] Jeromeapt possibly measures 1.1 kilometer in diameter,[4] based on an absolute magnitude of 17.1.[2] As of 2018, the asteroid's effective size, its composition and albedo, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.[2][7]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g "116903 Jeromeapt (2004 GW)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 116903 Jeromeapt (2004 GW)" (2017-11-26 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Asteroid 116903 Jeromeapt". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Asteroid Size Estimator". CNEOS NASA/JPL. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131.
- ^ "LCDB Data for (116903) Jeromeapt". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 28 June 2017.
External links edit
- 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 (115001)-(120000) – Minor Planet Center
- 116903 Jeromeapt at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 116903 Jeromeapt at the JPL Small-Body Database
