4065 Meinel
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
C. J. van Houten I. van Houten T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 September 1960 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 4065 Meinel |
Named after |
Aden Meinel (astronomer)[2] |
|
2820 P-L · 1976 JF6 1986 GQ1 | |
| main-belt [1] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 62.67 yr (22,889 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.4398 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0946 AU |
| 2.2672 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0761 |
| 3.41 yr (1,247 days) | |
| 17.666° | |
| 0° 17m 19.32s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.1643° |
| 22.791° | |
| 102.82° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 3.873±0.075 km[3] |
| 0.270±0.021[3] | |
| 14.1[1] | |
|
| |
4065 Meinel, provisional designation 2820 P-L, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory, California.[4]
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 2.1–2.4 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,247 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at the discovering observatory in 1953, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 7 years prior to its discovery.[4]
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 3.87 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.270.[3] As of 2016, the asteroid's composition, shape and rotation period remains unknown.
The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of more than 4,600 minor planets.[5]
The asteroid is named in honour of the American physicist and astronomer Aden Meinel (1922–2011).[2] Naming citation was published on 18 February 1992 (M.P.C. 19695).[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4065 Meinel (2820 P-L)" (2016-04-14 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (4065) Meinel. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 347. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 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 4 November 2016. - 1 2 "4065 Meinel (2820 P-L)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ↑ "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 4065 Meinel at the JPL Small-Body Database
