2554 Skiff

2554 Skiff
Discovery [1]
Discovered by E. Bowell
Discovery site Anderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date 17 July 1980
Designations
MPC designation 2554 Skiff
Named after
 Brian Skiff
(astronomer)[2]
1980 OB · 1931 AB
1970 RE · 1976 GK8
1976 HV
main-belt · Flora [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 62.56 yr (22,851 days)
Aphelion 2.5927 AU
Perihelion 1.9344 AU
2.2635 AU
Eccentricity 0.1454
3.41 yr (1,244 days)
243.65°
0° 17m 21.84s / day
Inclination 4.8610°
296.42°
333.74°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 6.283±0.049 km[4]
7.82 km (calculated)[3]
25.6±0.5 h[5]
0.24 (assumed)[3]
0.4489±0.0796[4]
S [3]
12.5[4]
12.51±0.31[6]
12.7[1][3]

    2554 Skiff, provisional designation 1980 OB, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station, Arizona, on 17 July 1980.[7]

    The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.9–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,244 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first used precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1953, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 27 years, while the first yet unused observation at Heidelberg Observatory dates back to 1931.[7]

    In August 2014, a rotational light-curve for this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations by Italian astronomers at the Franco Fuligni Observatory near Rome. It gave a provisional rotation period of 25.6±0.5 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.32 in magnitude (U=1).[5] According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 6.3 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an exceptionally high albedo of 0.44.[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link, however, assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from the family's principal body and namesake, the asteroid 8 Flora – and calculates a larger diameter of 7.8 kilometers.[3]

    The minor planet was named in honor of American astronomer Brian Skiff, discoverer more than 50 asteroids. He significantly contributed to Lowell's asteroid astrometry program, including the rediscovery of the 800-meter potentially hazardous object 69230 Hermes, a long lost asteroid.[2][8] Naming citation was published on 8 April 1982 (M.P.C. 6834).[9]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2554 Skiff (1980 OB)" (2016-04-09 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2554) Skiff. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 209. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (2554) Skiff". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 17 May 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 4 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:1109.6407Freely accessible. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
    5. 1 2 Tomassini, Angelo; Scardella, Maurizio; Zampetti, Fabio (April 2015). "Rotation Period Determination of 2554 Skiff and 3107 Weaver". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 42 (2): 100–101. Bibcode:2015MPBu...42..100T. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
    6. ↑ 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:1506.00762Freely accessible. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
    7. 1 2 "2554 Skiff (1980 OB)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
    8. ↑ "Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)". Minor Planet Center. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
    9. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

    External links

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