3841 Dicicco, provisional designation 1983 VG7, is a stony Florian asteroid and synchronous binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 November 1983, by American astronomer Brian Skiff at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States.[11] It was named after American astronomer Dennis di Cicco.[2] Its minor-planet moon, provisionally designated S/2014 (3841) 1, was discovered in 2014.[5]
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | B. A. Skiff |
| Discovery site | Anderson Mesa Stn. |
| Discovery date | 4 November 1983 |
| Designations | |
| (3841) Dicicco | |
Named after | Dennis di Cicco (American astronomer)[2] |
| 1983 VG7 · 1973 YM2 1982 KA2 | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 43.27 yr (15,806 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.6394 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9083 AU |
| 2.2739 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1607 |
| 3.43 yr (1,252 days) | |
| 305.68° | |
| 0° 17m 14.64s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.2241° |
| 46.079° | |
| 359.76° | |
| Known satellites | 1 [4][5] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 4.74±1.11 km[6] 5.10 km (derived)[3] 6.252±0.110 km[7][8] 6.45±0.31 km[9] |
| 3.5949±0.0002 h[a] 3.5950±0.0001 h[5] | |
| 0.24 (assumed)[3] 0.294±0.033[9][8] 0.3126±0.0343[7] 0.38±0.24[6] | |
| SMASS = S [1] · S [10][3] | |
| 12.90[9][7] · 13.00[6] · 13.2[1] · 13.26±0.25[10] · 13.63±0.04[3][5] | |
Orbit and classification
Dicicco is member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the inner main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.9–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,252 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
It was first identified as 1973 YM2 at Crimea–Nauchnij in 1973, extending the body's observation arc by 10 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.[11]
Physical characteristics
Dicicco is a stony S-type asteroid in the SMASS classification.[1]
Rotation period
In December 2014, two rotational lightcurves of Dicicco were obtained from photometric observations by an international collaboration of American and European astronomers. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 3.5949 and 3.5950 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.18 and 0.19 magnitude, respectively (U=3/n.a.).[5][a]
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Dicicco measures between 4.74 and 6.45 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.294 and 0.38.[6][7][8][9] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 — derived from 8 Flora, the family's largest member and namesake – and derives a diameter of 5.10 kilometers using an absolute magnitude of 13.63.[3]
Satellite
During the photometric observations made in December 2014, it was revealed that Dicicco is a synchronous binary asteroid. Its minor-planet moon, designated S/2014 (3841) 1 measures at least 1.67 kilometers in diameter based on a diameter-ratio of larger than 0.28.[4] Its orbit has an estimated semi-major axis of 12 kilometers, and a derived period of 21.63 and 21.641 hours, respectively.[5][a]
Naming
This minor planet was named after American amateur astronomer and astrophotographer Dennis di Cicco.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 10 April 1990 (M.P.C. 16246).[12]
Notes
References
External links
- Asteroids with Satellites, Robert Johnston, johnstonsarchive.net
- 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
- 3841 Dicicco at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 3841 Dicicco at the JPL Small-Body Database
