9968 Serpe

9968 Serpe
Orbits of Serpe (blue), the inner planets and Jupiter (outermost)
Discovery [1]
Discovered by H. Debehogne
Discovery site La Silla Obs.
Discovery date 4 May 1992
Designations
MPC designation (9968) Serpe
Named after
 Jean Serpe
(Belgian physicist)[2]
1992 JS2 · 1977 VT
1985 SC2 · 1988 KR1
main-belt · (middle)
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 39.56 yr (14,451 days)
Aphelion 2.6974 AU
Perihelion 2.4354 AU
2.5664 AU
Eccentricity 0.0510
4.11 yr (1,502 days)
346.96°
0° 14m 22.92s / day
Inclination 12.993°
213.10°
78.256°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 12.355±0.453 km[3]
0.088±0.011[3]
13.0[1]

    9968 Serpe, provisional designation 1992 JS2, is an asteroid from the middle regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter.

    This asteroid was discovered on 4 May 1992, by Belgian astronomer Henri Debehogne at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. It was named after Belgian physicist Jean Serpe.[2]

    Orbit and classification

    Serpe orbits the Sun in the middle main-belt at a distance of 2.4–2.7 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,502 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 13° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] In 1977, it was first observed as 1977 VT at Cerro El Roble Station in Argentina, extending the body's observation arc by 15 years prior to its official discovery at La Silla.[2]

    Physical characteristics

    Diameter and albedo

    According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 12.355 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.088.[3]

    Rotation period

    As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve has been obtained of Serpe. The body's rotation period and shape, as well as its spectral type remain unknown.[1][4]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after Belgian Jean Nicolas François Jules Serpe (1914–2001), theoretical-physicist, professor at Liège University and member of the RASAB.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 17 May 2011 (M.P.C. 75102).[5]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 9968 Serpe (1992 JS2)" (2017-06-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
    2. 1 2 3 4 "9968 Serpe (1992 JS2)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
    3. 1 2 3 Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; Cabrera, M. S. (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 23 August 2016.
    4. ↑ "LCDB Data for (9968) Serpe". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 9 April 2017.
    5. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
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