1220 Crocus

1220 Crocus
Discovery [1]
Discovered by K. Reinmuth
Discovery site Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date 11 February 1932
Designations
MPC designation (1220) Crocus
Named after
 Crocus [2]
1932 CU · 1955 PC
main-belt · Eos [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 85.31 yr (31,161 days)
Aphelion 3.2243 AU
Perihelion 2.7807 AU
3.0025 AU
Eccentricity 0.0739
5.20 yr (1,900 days)
204.16°
0° 11m 21.84s / day
Inclination 11.365°
113.34°
333.41°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 17.866±0.175[4]
491.4±0.1[5]
0.114±0.020[4]
S [3]
11.72[1]

    1220 Crocus, provisionally designated 1932 CU, is a stony Eoan asteroid and slow rotator from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 11 February 1932, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.[6]

    Orbit and classification

    Crocus is a member of the Eos family, a collisional population of mostly stony composition. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.8–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 2 months (1,900 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] A

    Physical characteristics

    The asteroid has been characterized as a stony S-type asteroid.[3]

    In December 2014, a rotational lightcurve of Crocus was obtained from photometric observations by an international collaboration of several astronomers from Europe and the United States. Lightcurve analysis gave a long rotation period of 491 hours with a brightness variation of 1.00 magnitude (U=3).[5]

    Naming

    This minor planet was later named after the genus of flowering plants, Crocus, in the iris family.[2]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1220 Crocus (1932 CU)" (2017-06-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1220) Crocus. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 102. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
    3. 1 2 3 "LCDB Data for (1220) Crocus". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 15 June 2017.
    4. 1 2 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. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
    5. 1 2 Pilcher, Frederick; Benishek, Vladimir; Franco, Lorenzo; Harris, A. W.; Klinglesmith, Daniel A., III; Hanowell, Jesse; et al. (July 2015). "Rotation Period Determination for 1220 Crocus". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 42 (3): 155–157. Bibcode:2015MPBu...42..155P. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
    6. ↑ "1220 Crocus (1932 CU)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
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