2608 Seneca
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | H.-E. Schuster |
Discovery site | La Silla Obs. |
Discovery date | 17 February 1978 |
Designations | |
MPC designation | (2608) Seneca |
Named after |
Seneca the Younger (Roman philosopher)[2] |
1978 DA | |
NEO · Amor [1][3] | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 1 | |
Observation arc | 38.92 yr (14,217 days) |
Aphelion | 3.9532 AU |
Perihelion | 1.0777 AU |
2.5154 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.5716 |
3.99 yr (1,457 days) | |
353.12° | |
0° 14m 49.56s / day | |
Inclination | 14.682° |
167.37° | |
37.350° | |
Earth MOID | 0.1321 AU · 51.5 LD |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions |
0.9 km[1][4][5] ±0.3 1.0[5] |
8h[5] | |
±0.03 0.15[5] 0.20 (derived)[4] 0.21[1] | |
Tholen = S [1] · S [4] B–V = 0.826[1] U–B = 0.454[1] | |
17.52[1] · 17.59[4][6] · 17.73[5] | |
|
2608 Seneca, provisional designation 1978 DA, is a stony asteroid and sub-kilometer near-Earth object of the Amor group, approximately 0.9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 February 1978, by German astronomer Hans-Emil Schuster at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile, and named after Roman philosopher Seneca.[2][3]
Orbit
Seneca orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.1–4.0 AU once every 3 years and 12 months (1,457 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.57 and an inclination of 15° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation in 1978, as no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made.[3]
Close approaches
Seneca has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance of 0.1321 AU (19,800,000 km), which corresponds to 51.5 lunar distances.[1] On 22 March 2062, it will pass 0.254 AU (38,000,000 km) from the Earth.[7]
Physical characteristics
In the Tholen taxonomy, Seneca is a stony S-type asteroid.[1]
Photometry
In March 1978, a photometric observations taken by Degewij and Lebofsky at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Arizona, using a 154-cm reflector, gave a rotational lightcurve with a rotation period of 8 hours and a brightness amplitude of 0.4 (0.5) magnitude (U=2).[5]
Radiometry
In addition, radiometric observations by L. and M. Lebofsky with the 71-cm reflector gave a mean-diameter of ±0.3 kilometers and 1.0albedo of ±0.03. 0.15[5]
Diameter and albedo
The Minor Planet Center classifies Seneca as an object larger than 1 kilometer ("1+ KM Near-Earth Object"),[3] while Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.20 and a diameter of 0.9 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 17.59.[4] In 1994, astronomer Tom Gehrels published a diameter of 0.9 kilometers with an albedo of 0.21 in his Hazards Due to Comets and Asteroids.[1]
Naming
This minor planet was named after Roman philosopher and statesman Lucius Annaeus Seneca (c. 4 BC – AD 65), also known as "Seneca the Younger" or simply "Seneca".[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 8 April 1982 (M.P.C. 6835).[8] The lunar crater Seneca was also named in his honor.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2608 Seneca (1978 DA)" (2017-01-20 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2608) Seneca. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 213. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 "2608 Seneca (1978 DA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "LCDB Data for (2608) Seneca". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Degewij, J.; Lebofsky, L.; Lebofsky, M. (March 1978). "1978 CA and 1978 DA". IAU Circ. (3193). Bibcode:1978IAUC.3193....1D. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ↑ Schuster, H. E.; Surdej, A.; Surdej, J. (September 1979). "Photoelectric observations of two unusual asteroids - 1978 CA and 1978 DA". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series: 483–486. Bibcode:1979A&AS...37..483S. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ↑ "JPL Close-Approach Data: 2608 Seneca (1978 DA)" (2010-08-19 last obs). Retrieved 15 April 2016.
- ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
External links
- Hazards Due to Comets and Asteroids, Tom Gehrels (1994/5)
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- 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
- 2608 Seneca at the JPL Small-Body Database