Astronomy:5656 Oldfield

From HandWiki
Short description: Asteroid
5656 Oldfield
Discovery [1]
Discovered byW. Baade
Discovery siteBergedorf Obs.
Discovery date8 October 1920
Designations
(5656) Oldfield
Named afterMike Oldfield [1]
(English musician)
A920 TA · 1978 WW18
1981 JZ5
Minor planet categorymain-belt [1][2] · (inner)
background[3]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc97.29 yr (35,536 d)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}3.1076 AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}1.8111 AU
2.4594 AU
Eccentricity0.2636
Orbital period3.86 yr (1,409 d)
Mean anomaly125.66°
Mean motion0° 15m 19.8s / day
Inclination4.0144°
Longitude of ascending node248.67°
83.725°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter7.691±0.051 km[4]
Geometric albedo0.075±0.009[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)14.1[2]


5656 Oldfield, provisional designation A920 TA, is a background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7.7 kilometers (4.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 8 October 1920, by astronomer Walter Baade at the Bergedorf Observatory in Hamburg, Germany. The asteroid was named for English musician Mike Oldfield.[1]

Orbit and classification

Oldfield is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population.[3] It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–3.1 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,409 days; semi-major axis of 2.46 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.26 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]

The body's observation arc begins at Bergedorf two nights after its official discovery observation.[1]

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Oldfield measures 7.691 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.075.[4]

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Oldfield has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.[2]

Naming

This minor planet was named after English composer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield (born 1953), creator of the famed Tubular Bells albums.[1] The official naming citation was proposed by Gareth V. Williams and published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 April 1994 (M.P.C. 23353).[5]

References

External links