4606_Saheki

4606 Saheki

4606 Saheki

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4606 Saheki, provisional designation 1987 UM1, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter.

Quick Facts Discovery, Discovered by ...

The asteroid was discovered on 27 October 1987, by Japanese astronomer Tsutomu Seki at Geisei Observatory, Japan.[9] It was later named after Japanese astronomer Tsuneo Saheki.[2]

Classification and orbit

Saheki is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest families of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,234 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1953, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 34 years prior to its discovery.[9]

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

In January 2009, a rotational lightcurve of Saheki was obtained from photometric observations by David Higgins at Hunters Hill Observatory, Australia. Lightcurve analysis rendered a well-defined rotation period of 4.969 hours with a brightness variation of 0.56 in magnitude (U=3).[lower-alpha 1]

Two months later, in March 2009, a second lightcurve was obtained at the Via Capote Observatory (G69), California. It gave a period of 5.032 and an amplitude of 0.68 in magnitude (U=3-).[7]

Spin axis

In 2013, an international study modeled a lightcurve with a concurring period of 4.97347 hours and found a spin axis of (44.0°, 59.0°) and (222.0°, 68.0°) in ecliptic coordinates (λ, β), respectively (Q=2).[6]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Saheki has a high albedo of 0.33 and a diameter of 6.7 kilometers,[4][5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link calculates a diameter of 7.1 kilometers, based on an assumed albedo of 0.24, derived from 8 Flora, the Flora family's namesake and largest member.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Japanese astronomer and president of the Toa Astronomical Society, Tsuneo Saheki (1916–1996). Over half a century, Saheki as gathered large inventory of observational data of the planet Mars.[2] The Martian crater Saheki is also named in his honour. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 28 May 1991 (M.P.C. 18308).[10]

Notes

  1. Higgins (2011) web: rotation period 4.969±0.003 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.56 mag. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assigns a quality code of U=3 to the period solution, which denotes a secure result within the precision given and no ambiguity. Summary figures for (4606) Saheki at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL)

References

  1. [1]
    "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4606 Saheki (1987 UM1)" (2017-06-06 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  2. [2]
    Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(4606) Saheki". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (4606) Saheki. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 396. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_4531. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. [3]
    "LCDB Data for (4606) Saheki". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  4. [4]
    Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  5. [5]
    Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  6. [6]
    Hanus, J.; Broz, M.; Durech, J.; Warner, B. D.; Brinsfield, J.; Durkee, R.; et al. (November 2013). "An anisotropic distribution of spin vectors in asteroid families". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 559: 19. arXiv:1309.4296. Bibcode:2013A&A...559A.134H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321993. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  7. [7]
    Brinsfield, James W. (July 2009). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Via Capote Observatory: 2009 1st Quarter". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 36 (3): 127–128. Bibcode:2009MPBu...36..127B. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  8. [8]
    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 26 April 2016.
  9. [9]
    "4606 Saheki (1987 UM1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  10. [10]
    "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
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