2934 Aristophanes

2934 Aristophanes /ˌærɪˈstɒfəniːz/, provisional designation 4006 P-L, is a carbonaceous Veritasian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 22 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, and later named after ancient Greek dramatist Aristophanes.

Discovery

Aristophanes was discovered on 25 September 1960, by Dutch astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, on photographic plates taken by Tom Gehrels at the Palomar Observatory, California, United States.[6]

Palomar–Leiden survey

The survey designation P-L stands for "Palomar–Leiden", named after Palomar Observatory 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 several thousand asteroids.[7]

Orbit and classification

Aristophanes is a member of the Veritas family (609),[4] a young family of carbonaceous asteroids, that formed approximately 8.5±0.5 million years ago. The family is named after 490 Veritas and consists of nearly 1,300 members.[8]: 8, 23 

It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 3.0–3.3 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,062 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The body's observation arc begins at Palomar, the night prior to its official discovery observation.[6]

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS classification, Aristophanes is a Ch-type,[1] a hydrated subtype of the carbonaceous C-type asteroid with absorption features at 0.7 μm.[9]

Rotation period

As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Aristophanes has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, shape and poles remain unknown.[1][10]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Aristophanes measures 21.941 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.110.[5]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Aristophanes (445–385 B.C.), a Greek comic playwright of ancient Athens.[3] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 29 September 1985 (M.P.C. 10044).[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2934 Aristophanes (4006 P-L)" (2016-12-22 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  2. ^ "Aristophanes". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2934) Aristophanes". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 241. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2935. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  4. ^ a b "Asteroid 2934 Aristophanes – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  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 8 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b "2934 Aristophanes (4006 P-L)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  8. ^ 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 978-0-8165-3213-1.
  9. ^ Bus, Schelte J.; Binzel, Richard P. (July 2002). "Phase II of the Small Main-Belt Asteroid Spectroscopic Survey. A Feature-Based Taxonomy" (PDF). Icarus. 158 (1): 146–177. Bibcode:2002Icar..158..146B. doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6856. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  10. ^ "LCDB Data for (2934) Aristophanes". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  11. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  • Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
  • 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
  • 2934 Aristophanes at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
    • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
  • 2934 Aristophanes at the JPL Small-Body Database Edit this at Wikidata
    • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • JPL SBDB
  • MPC