Astronomy:6267 Rozhen

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6267 Rozhen
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. W. Elst
Discovery siteRozhen Obs.
Discovery date20 September 1987
Designations
(6267) Rozhen
Named afterRozhen Observatory
(discovering observatory)[2]
1987 SO9 · 1971 SP
1979 BR2
Minor planet categorymain-belt · Flora[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc67.30 yr (24,583 days)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.3582 AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}1.9663 AU
2.1623 AU
Eccentricity0.0906
Orbital period3.18 yr (1,161 days)
Mean anomaly72.417°
Mean motion0° 18m 36s / day
Inclination2.1034°
Longitude of ascending node136.75°
315.64°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions3.02 km (calculated)[3]
Rotation period3.980±0.020 h[4]
3.9847±0.0007 h[5]
Geometric albedo0.24 (assumed)[3]
S[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)14.270±0.120 (R)[4] · 14.3[1] · 14.316±0.001 (R)[5] · 14.77[3] · 14.79±0.28[6]


6267 Rozhen, provisional designation 1987 SO9, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. In 1987, the asteroid was discovered by Eric Elst at Rozhen Observatory, Bulgaria, and was later named after the discovering observatory.

Discovery

Rozhen was discovered on 20 September 1987, by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst at Rozhen Observatory near Smoljan, Bulgaria.[7] For four days, between 27 and 31 January 2005, the body was briefly and erroneously renamed 6267 Smolyan.[8] In November 1949, a precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory, extending the body's observation arc by 38 years prior to its official discovery observation at Rozhen.[7]

Orbit and classification

The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.4 AU once every 3 years and 2 months (1,161 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

Physical characteristics

Lightcurves

In January 2014, two rotational lightcurves of Rozhen were obtained from photometric observations at the Palomar Transient Factory in California, United States. They gave a rotation period of 3.9847 and 3.980 hours with a brightness variation of 0.14 and 0.12 magnitude, respectively ({{{1}}}).[4][5]

Diameter and albedo

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24, derived from 8 Flora, the asteroid family's largest member and namesake, and calculates a diameter of 3.0 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.77.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named for the discovering Rozhen Observatory, also known as the "Bulgarian National Astronomical Observatory", that has been established at Rozhen in 1981.[2]

Rozhen is located near the city of Smoljan and in proximity to the border with Greece. At 1700 meters above sea leavel, the observatory benefits from favorable instrumental and observational conditions. An exhaustive survey for the discovery of minor planets was launched at Rozhen in 1986.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 November 2002 (M.P.C. 47163).[9]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 6267 Rozhen (1987 SO9)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2006267. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(6267) Rozhen". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (6267) Rozhen. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 522. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_5763. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "LCDB Data for (6267) Rozhen". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). http://www.minorplanet.info/PHP/generateOneAsteroidInfo.php?AstInfo=6267%7CRozhen. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chang, Chan-Kao (August 2015). "Asteroid Spin-rate Study Using the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 219 (2): 19. doi:10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/27. Bibcode2015ApJS..219...27C. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2015ApJS..219...27C. Retrieved 4 July 2016. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal 150 (3): 35. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Bibcode2015AJ....150...75W. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2015AJ....150...75W. Retrieved 4 July 2016. 
  6. 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. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Bibcode2015Icar..261...34V. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2015Icar..261...34V. Retrieved 4 July 2016. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 "6267 Rozhen (1987 SO9)". Minor Planet Center. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=6267. 
  8. "Major News about Minor Planets". hohmanntransfer.com. 28 February 2005. http://www.hohmanntransfer.com/mn/0502/stak4.htm. 
  9. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html. 

External links