3133 Sendai, provisional designation A907 TC, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 October 1907, by German astronomer August Kopff at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.[8] The asteroid was named for the Japanese city of Sendai.[2]
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. Kopff |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 4 October 1907 |
| Designations | |
| (3133) Sendai | |
Named after | Sendai (Japanese city)[2] |
| A907 TC · 1968 TO 1973 DN · 1981 UX 1984 QG1 · A907 XA | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 109.19 yr (39,882 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5314 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8299 AU |
| 2.1806 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1608 |
| 3.22 yr (1,176 days) | |
| 44.618° | |
| 0° 18m 21.96s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.5666° |
| 37.160° | |
| 358.26° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7.25±0.30 km[4] 7.47 km (calculated)[3] 8.323±0.066 km[5] |
| 5.7491±0.0008 h[6] 5.776±0.005 h[a] | |
| 0.2131±0.0373[5] 0.24 (assumed)[3] 0.307±0.039[4] | |
| S [3] | |
| 12.8[1][3] · 12.7[5] · 12.7[4] · 12.522±0.001 (R)[6] · 12.92±0.21[7] | |
Orbit and classification
Sendai 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 1.8–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,176 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
Physical characteristics
Sendai has been characterized as a stony S-type asteroid.[3]
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and its extended NEOWISE mission, the asteroid's surface has an albedo of 0.21 and 0.31, with a diameter of 8.3 and 7.3 kilometers, respectively.[4][5] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an intermediate albedo of 0.24 – which derives from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of this orbital family – and calculates a concurring diameter of 7.5 kilometers.[3]
Lightcurves
In 2010, two rotational lightcurves were obtained by amateur astronomer Ralph Megna at Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station (G79), and by the U.S. Palomar Transient Factory in California. The concurring lightcurves showed a rotation period of 5.776±0.005 and 5.7491±0.0008 hours, respectively (U=3-/2).[a][6]
Naming
This minor planet was named for the second largest city north of Tokyo, Sendai (pop. 1 million), location of the Tōhoku University. It is the home of the Sendai Astronomical Observatory, which was founded in 1955, on appeal by the Sendai Amateur Astronomical Association. The observatory has discovered several minor planets.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 29 September 1985 (M.P.C. 10045).[9]
Notes
References
External links
- Ralph Megna, Light-curves, website
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 3133 Sendai at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 3133 Sendai at the JPL Small-Body Database
