Astronomy:4065 Meinel

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4065 Meinel
Discovery [1]
Discovered byC. J. van Houten
I. van Houten
T. Gehrels
Discovery sitePalomar Obs.
Discovery date24 September 1960
Designations
(4065) Meinel
Named afterAden Meinel
(American astronomer)[2]
2820 P-L · 1976 JF6
1986 GQ1
Minor planet categorymain-belt inner
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc63.81 yr (23,306 days)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.4404 AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.0932 AU
2.2668 AU
Eccentricity0.0766
Orbital period3.41 yr (1,247 days)
Mean anomaly133.39°
Mean motion0° 17m 19.68s / day
Inclination5.1640°
Longitude of ascending node22.788°
102.54°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions3.873±0.075 km[3]
Geometric albedo0.270±0.021[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)14.1[1]


4065 Meinel, provisional designation 2820 P-L, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory, California.[4] The asteroid was named for American astronomer Aden Meinel.[2]

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.[citation needed] It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.1–2.4 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,247 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] A first precovery was taken at the discovering observatory in 1953, extending Meinel's observation arc by 7 years prior to its discovery.[4]

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Meinel measures 3.87 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.270.[3] As of 2016, the asteroid's composition, shape and rotation period remains unknown.[1][5]

Diameter and albedo

The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.[6]

Naming

This minor planet was named in honor of the American physicist and astronomer Aden Meinel (1922–2011).[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 18 February 1992 (M.P.C. 19695).[7]

References

External links