3040 Kozai, provisional designation 1979 BA, is a stony asteroid and Mars-crosser on a tilted orbit from the innermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameters.

3040 Kozai
Discovery [1]
Discovered byW. Liller
Discovery siteCerro Tololo Obs.
Discovery date23 January 1979
Designations
(3040) Kozai
Named after
Yoshihide Kozai
(Japanese astronomer)[2]
1979 BA
Mars-crosser[1][3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc38.36 yr (14,011 days)
Aphelion2.2096 AU
Perihelion1.4717 AU
1.8406 AU
Eccentricity0.2004
2.50 yr (912 days)
213.41°
Inclination46.640°
143.51°
290.19°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions4–11 km (conversion)[4]
SMASS = S[1]
13.8[1]

The asteroid was discovered by American astronomer William Liller at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, on 23 January 1979, and named after Japanese astronomer Yoshihide Kozai.[2][3] It is considered a classical example of an object submitted to the Kozai effect, induced by an outer perturber, which in this case is the gas giant Jupiter.[5]

Orbit and classification

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Kozai orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.5–2.2 AU once every 2 years and 6 months (912 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.20 and an inclination of 47° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

On 10 January 2044, the asteroid will make a close approach to Mars, passing the Red Planet at a distance of 0.034 AU (5,090,000 km).[1]

Physical characteristics

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In the SMASS classification, Kozai is a common S-type asteroid.[1] As of 2017, little is known about its size, composition, albedo and rotation.[1][6]

With an absolute magnitude of 13.8, Kozai's diameter can be estimated to measure between 4 and 11 kilometers, for an assumed albedo in the range of 0.05–0.25.[4] Since Kozai is a brighter S-type asteroid rather than a darker carbonaceous body, its diameter is on the lower end of NASA's generic conversion table, as the larger the body's diameter, the lower its albedo at a constant absolute magnitude.[4]

Naming

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This minor planet was named in honour of 20th-century Japanese astronomer Yoshihide Kozai, discoverer of the periodic comet D/1977 C1 (Skiff-Kosai) and of the Kozai mechanism.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 July 1985 (M.P.C. 9770).[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3040 Kozai (1979 BA)" (2017-06-03 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3040) Kozai". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3040) Kozai. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 250. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3041. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b "3040 Kozai (1979 BA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Archived from the original on 2 March 2001. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  5. ^ Fuente, Marcos (June 2014). "Extreme trans-Neptunian objects and the Kozai mechanism: signalling the presence of trans-Plutonian planets". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. 443: L59–L63. arXiv:1406.0715. Bibcode:2014MNRAS.443L..59D. doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slu084.
  6. ^ "LCDB Data for (3040) Kozai". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  7. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
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