23327 Luchernandez (provisional designation 2001 BE31) is a Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 20 January 2001, by astronomers of the LINEAR program at the Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site near Socorro, New Mexico, United States.[2] The asteroid was named for ISEF awardee Lucero Hernandez.[2]

23327 Luchernandez
Discovery [1]
Discovered byLINEAR
Discovery siteLincoln Lab ETS
Discovery date20 January 2001
Designations
(23327) Luchernandez
Named after
Lucero Hernandez [2][3]
(2007 ISEF awardee)
2001 BE31 · 1992 SE27
1999 RZ63
main-belt · (inner)
Flora[4][5]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc25.22 yr (9,213 days)
Aphelion2.5960 AU
Perihelion2.0771 AU
2.3366 AU
Eccentricity0.1110
3.57 yr (1,305 days)
256.53°
0° 16m 33.6s / day
Inclination5.7545°
146.36°
320.17°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions2.26 km (calculated)[4]
2.475±0.509 km[6][7]
4.933±0.007 h[8]
0.2399±0.1204[6][7]
0.24 (assumed)[4]
S (assumed)[4]
15.2[7] · 15.4[1][4] · 15.57±0.28[9]

Orbit and classification edit

Luchernandez is a member of the Flora family (402),[4][5] a giant asteroid family and the largest family of stony asteroids in the main-belt.[10]: 23  It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 2.1–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,305 days; semi-major axis of 2.34 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 6° for the ecliptic.[1]

The body's observation arc begins with a precovery published by the Digitized Sky Survey that was taken at Palomar Observatory in August 1992, more than 18 years before its official discovery observation at Socorro.[2]

Physical characteristics edit

Luchernandez is an assumed S-type asteroid,[4] which agrees with the overall spectral type for members of the Flora family.[10]: 23 

Rotation period edit

In December 2007, a rotational lightcurve of Luchernandez was obtained from photometric observations by Slovak astronomers Adrián Galád and Leonard Kornoš at the Modra Observatory. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 4.933 hours with a brightness variation of 0.50 magnitude (U=2+).[8] A high brightness amplitude is indicative of an elongated, non-spherical shape. Alternative period solutions that give 5.49 hours or longer are less likely.[8]

Diameter and albedo edit

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Luchernandez measures 2.475 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.2399.[6][7]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an identical albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the family's parent body – and calculates a diameter of 2.26 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 15.4.[4]

Naming edit

This minor planet was named after Mexican student Lucero Hernandez (born 1989), who won second place in the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her computer science team project.[3] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 28 August 2007 (M.P.C. 60505).[11]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 23327 Luchernandez (2001 BE31)" (2017-10-28 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "23327 Luchernandez (2001 BE31)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b "2007 Award Honorees". Lincoln Laboratory. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "LCDB Data for (23327) Luchernandez". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Asteroid 23327 Luchernandez – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b c Galad, Adrian; Kornos, Leonard (October 2008). "A Collection of Lightcurves from Modra: 2007 December- 2008 June". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 35 (4): 144–146. Bibcode:2008MPBu...35..144G. ISSN 1052-8091.
  9. ^ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007.
  10. ^ a b 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.
  11. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 31 January 2018.

External links edit