2927 Alamosa

2927 Alamosa
Discovery [1]
Discovered by N. G. Thomas
Discovery site Anderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date 5 October 1981
Designations
MPC designation (2927) Alamosa
Named after
 Alamosa, Colorado
(discoverer's birthplace)[2]
1981 TM · 1936 OA
1975 EN2
main-belt · (middle) [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 80.12 yr (29,265 days)
Aphelion 2.9604 AU
Perihelion 2.1033 AU
2.5318 AU
Eccentricity 0.1693
4.03 yr (1,471 days)
15.693°
0° 14m 40.92s / day
Inclination 17.020°
150.48°
189.63°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 11.83 km (calculated)[3]
4.3832±0.0002 h[4]
0.20 (assumed)[3]
S [3][5]
12.0[1][3] · 12.01±0.35[5]

    2927 Alamosa, provisional designation 1981 TM, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered on 5 October 1981, by American astronomer Norman Thomas at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona.[6] It was named after the U.S. town of Alamosa in Colorado.[2]

    Orbit and classification

    Alamosa orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.1–3.0 AU once every 4.03 years (1,471 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 17° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first identified as 1936 OA at Heidelberg Observatory in 1936, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 45 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.[6]

    Physical characteristics

    Alamosa has been characterized as a common S-type asteroid.[3] In April and May 2012, a rotational lightcurve was obtained from photometric observations made at the Phillips Academy Observatory (I12). Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 4.3832±0.0002 hours with a brightness variation of 0.26 in magnitude (U=3).[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 11.8 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.0.[3]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after the U.S. town of Alamosa, Colorado, located in the San Luis Valley on the upper Rio Grande. The town is the birthplace of the discovering astronomer, Norman Thomas.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 December 1983 (M.P.C. 8405).[7] Almosa is Spanish for cottonwood tree.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2927 Alamosa (1981 TM)" (2016-08-30 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
    2. 1 2 3 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2927) Alamosa. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 241. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "LCDB Data for (2927) Alamosa". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 4 May 2016.
    4. 1 2 Odden, Caroline; French, John; Briggs, John (October 2012). "Lightcurve Analysis for Four Asteroids". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 39 (4): 236–238. Bibcode:2012MPBu...39..236O. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
    5. 1 2 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 4 May 2016.
    6. 1 2 "2927 Alamosa (1981 TM)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
    7. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
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