2442 Corbett, provisional designation 1980 TO, is a vestoid asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 October 1980, by Czech astronomer Zdeňka Vávrová at Kleť Observatory, now in the Czech Republic.[8] It is named after British-Indian hunter Jim Corbett.[2]

2442 Corbett
Discovery [1]
Discovered byZ. Vávrová
Discovery siteKleť Obs.
Discovery date3 October 1980
Designations
(2442) Corbett
Named after
Jim Corbett
(Hunter and author)[2]
1980 TO · 1928 RA
1942 GE · 1951 YN1
1954 QO · 1971 BB3
1976 QZ
main-belt · Vestoid[3][4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc74.50 yr (27,210 days)
Aphelion2.6677 AU
Perihelion2.1081 AU
2.3879 AU
Eccentricity0.1172
3.69 yr (1,348 days)
75.911°
0° 16m 1.56s / day
Inclination5.0957°
190.64°
104.22°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions8.327±0.384 km[5]
8.57 km (calculated)[3]
10 h[6]
11.453±0.1173 h[7]
0.20 (assumed)[3]
0.255±0.043[5]
V[3][4]
12.416±0.003 (R)[7] · 12.50[5] · 12.656±0.001 (R)[7] · 12.7[1][3] · 12.85±0.47[4]

Orbit and classification

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Corbett is a V-type asteroid that orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.1–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,348 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] First identified as 1928 RA at Heidelberg in 1928, the body's observation arc begins in 1944, when it was identified as 1942 GE at Turku Observatory in Finland, 36 years prior to its official discovery observation at Klet.[8]

Rotation period

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A rotational lightcurve of Corbett was obtained from photometric observations by French amateur astronomer René Roy in July 2009. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 10 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.12 magnitude (U=2).[6]

Photometric observations in the R-band at the Palomar Transient Factory in 2010 and 2013, gave a divergent period of 11.453 (U=2) and 49.507 (U=1) hours with an amplitude of 0.19 and 0.10 magnitude, respectively.[7]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Corbett measures 8.327 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.255,[5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo of stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 8.57 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.7.[3]

Naming

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This minor planet was named in memory of British-Indian Jim Corbett (1875–1955), born in Nainital, India. Corbett was a colonel in the British Indian Army and a hunter of man-eating tigers and leopards in India, who became a nature conservationist, naturalist and author. He is known for his 1944 hunting biography Man-Eaters of Kumaon.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 8 February 1982 (M.P.C. 6650).[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2442 Corbett (1980 TO)" (2016-10-12 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2442) Corbett". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2442) Corbett. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 199. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2443. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (2442) Corbett". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  4. ^ a b c 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:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d 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. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (2442) Corbett". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  8. ^ a b "2442 Corbett (1980 TO)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  9. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
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