1608 Muñoz, provisional designation 1951 RZ, is a Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 1 September 1951, by Argentine astronomer Miguel Itzigsohn at the La Plata Astronomical Observatory, in La Plata, Argentina.[1] The S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 5.3 hours.[5] It was named after F. A. Muñoz, one of the assistant astronomers at the discovering observatory.[2]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. Itzigsohn |
| Discovery site | La Plata Obs. |
| Discovery date | 1 September 1951 |
| Designations | |
| (1608) Muñoz | |
Named after | F. A. Muñoz[2] (Argentine astronomer) |
| 1951 RZ · 1951 RK1 1961 UD · 1974 HH1 | |
| main-belt[1][3] · (inner) Flora[4][5] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 69.29 yr (25,309 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.5892 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8381 AU |
| 2.2137 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1697 |
| 3.29 yr (1,203 d) | |
| 212.24° | |
| 0° 17m 57.48s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.9436° |
| 356.96° | |
| 316.47° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 6.15±0.47 km[6] 6.529±0.583 km[7] 6.711±0.571 km[8] | |
| 5.3456±0.0007 h[5][9][a] | |
| 0.2654[10] 0.323[6] 0.403[7][11] | |
| S (assumed)[5] | |
| 12.60[7][10] 12.7[1][3][5] 12.90[6] | |
Orbit and classification
editMuñoz is a member of the Flora family (402), a giant asteroid clan and the largest family of stony asteroids in the main-belt.[4][5][12] It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,203 days; semi-major axis of 2.21 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[3] It was first imaged on a precovery taken at the Lowell Observatory in November 1948, extending the body's observation arc by 3 years prior to its official discovery observation.[1]
Naming
editThis minor planet was named in memory of F. A. Muñoz, who was an assistant at the La Plata Observatory in the department of extra-meridian astronomy.[2] Muñoz was involved in computational and observational work on minor planets for many years and also took an active part in site testing for the Argentine telescope, also known as the 85-inch or 2.15-meter Jorge Sahade Telescope (also see Leoncito Astronomical Complex § Telescopes).[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 August 1980 (M.P.C. 5449).[13]
Physical characteristics
editBeing a Florian asteroid, Muñoz is likely a stony, relatively bright S-type asteroid.[5]
Rotation period
editMuñoz is a target of the Photometric Survey for Asynchronous Binary Asteroids (BinAstPhot Survey) led by astronomer Petr Pravec at the Ondřejov Observatory in the Czech Republic. In September 2017, two rotational lightcurves were obtained from photometric observations by Pravec in collaboration with Serbian astronomer Vladimir Benishek at Belgrade Observatory, who observed the asteroid over three subsequent nights at Sopot Astronomical Observatory (K90). Analysis of the bimodal lightcurve gave a well-defined, nearly identical rotation period of 5.3451±0.0008 and 5.3456±0.0007 hours, respectively, with a brightness amplitude of 0.36 magnitude (U=3).[5][9][a]
Diameter and albedo
editAccording to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Muñoz measures between 6.15 and 7.8 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.265 and 0.40.[6][7][8][10][11] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the principal body of the Flora family – and calculates a diameter of 7.82 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.7.[5]
Notes
edit- ^ a b Pravec (2017) web: lightcurve plot of (1608) Muñoz, rotation period 5.3456±0.0007 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.36 mag. Quality code is 3. Summary figures at the LCDB and Ondrejov NEO Photometric Program and collaborating projects.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "1608 Munoz (1951 RZ)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1608) Muñoz". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 127. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1609. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.
- ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1608 Munoz (1951 RZ)" (2018-02-18 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Asteroid 1608 Munoz". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "LCDB Data for (1608) Muñoz". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
- ^ a b c d Mainzer, A. K.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; Kramer, E. A.; Masiero, J. R.; et al. (June 2016). "NEOWISE Diameters and Albedos V1.0". NASA Planetary Data System: EAR-A-COMPIL-5-NEOWISEDIAM-V1.0. Bibcode:2016PDSS..247.....M. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ a b Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. S2CID 46350317.
- ^ a b Benishek, Vladimir (January 2018). "Lightcurve and Rotation Period Determinations for 29 Asteroids". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 45 (1): 82–91. Bibcode:2018MPBu...45...82B. ISSN 1052-8091.
- ^ a b c 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. S2CID 118700974. (catalog)
- ^ a b Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. S2CID 119293330.
- ^ 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 9780816532131. S2CID 119280014.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
External links
edit- 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
- 1608 Muñoz at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 1608 Muñoz at the JPL Small-Body Database
