2939 Coconino, provisional designation 1982 DP, is a stony Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 21 February 1982, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, United States.[8] It is named after the Coconino County in Arizona.[2]

2939 Coconino
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. Bowell
Discovery siteAnderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date21 February 1982
Designations
(2939) Coconino
Named after
Coconino County
(U.S. county in Arizona)[2]
1982 DP · 1952 HU3
1976 ST4
main-belt · Nysa[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc40.69 yr (14,861 days)
Aphelion2.8399 AU
Perihelion2.0394 AU
2.4396 AU
Eccentricity0.1641
3.81 yr (1,392 days)
47.539°
Inclination3.9489°
349.97°
237.31°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions5.607±0.177 km[4][5]
9.40 km (calculated)[3]
4.68138±0.00004 h[6]
0.20 (assumed)[3]
0.512±0.043[4][5]
S[3]
12.5[1][3] · 12.6[4] · 12.92±0.10[7]

Orbit and classification edit

Coconino is a stony S-type asteroid and a member of the main-belt's Nysa family, which is named after its largest member 44 Nysa. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,392 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first identified as 1952 HU3 at McDonald Observatory in 1952, extending the body's observation arc by 30 years prior to its official discovery observation at Flagstaff.[8]

Physical characteristics edit

Rotation period edit

In February 2005, a rotational lightcurve of Coconino was obtained from photometric observations by astronomer Horácio Correia. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 4.68138 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.46 magnitude (U=3).[6]

Diameter and albedo edit

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Coconino measures 5.607 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo of 0.512,[4][5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and consequently calculates a larger diameter of 9.40 kilometers, using an absolute magnitude of 12.5.[3]

Naming edit

This minor planet was named after the U.S. Coconino County, Arizona, of which the city of Flagstaff with its discovering observatory is the county seat. The word "Coconino" derives from the language of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 17 February 1984 (M.P.C. 8544).[9]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2939 Coconino (1982 DP)" (2017-06-02 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2939) Coconino". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2939) Coconino. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 242. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2940. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (2939) Coconino". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (2939) Coconino". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  7. ^ 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. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  8. ^ a b "2939 Coconino (1982 DP)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  9. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 March 2017.

External links edit