5208 Royer (prov. designation: 1989 CH1) is a stony Marian asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 6 February 1989, by astronomer Eleanor Helin at the Palomar Observatory. The S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 3.87 hours and was named after American priest and amateur astronomer, Ronald Royer.[1][6]
Shape model of Royer from its lightcurve | |
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 6 February 1989 |
| Designations | |
| (5208) Royer | |
Named after | Msgr Ronald E. Royer [1] (American priest and amateur astronomer) |
| 1989 CH1 | |
| main-belt [1][2] · (middle) Maria [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 64.29 yr (23,481 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.7241 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4844 AU |
| 2.6042 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0460 |
| 4.20 yr (1,535 d) | |
| 345.72° | |
| 0° 14m 4.2s / day | |
| Inclination | 15.904° |
| 124.56° | |
| 21.407° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 7.884±0.150 km[4] 8.081±0.121 km[5] 9.40 km (calculated)[6] | |
| 3.866 h[7] 3.88494±0.00005 h[8] | |
| 0.20 (assumed)[6] 0.270±0.059[5] 0.2854±0.0197[4] | |
| SMASS = S [2][6] | |
| 12.5[4][6] 12.6[2] | |
Orbit and classification
editRoyer is a member of the Maria family (506),[3] a large family of stony asteroids with nearly 3,000 known members.[9]: 23
It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5–2.7 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,535 days; semi-major axis of 2.6 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 16° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in November 1953, more than 35 years prior to its official discovery observation.[1]
Naming
editThis minor planet was named after Reverend Ronald E. Royer, an American priest as well as amateur astronomer and astrophotographer.[1] He has been a member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS) since 1946 and received the G. Bruce Blair Award in 2001.[10] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 April 1993 (M.P.C. 21957).[11]
Physical characteristics
editIn the SMASS classification, Royer is a common, stony S-type asteroid.[2][6]
Rotation period and poles
editIn 2004, a rotational lightcurve of Royer was obtained from photometric observations by Brazilian and Argentine astronomers. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 3.866 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.44 magnitude (U=2).[7] In 2016, a modeled lightcurves using photometric data from various sources, rendered a sidereal period of 3.88494 and two spin axes of (258.0°, 74.0°) and (54.0°, 37.0°) in ecliptic coordinates.[8]
Diameter and albedo
editAccording to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Royer measures 7.884 and 8.081 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.2854 and 0.270, respectively,[4][5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 9.40 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.5.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "5208 Royer (1989 CH1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5208 Royer (1989 CH1)" (2018-02-24 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Asteroid 5208 Royer – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (5208) Royer". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ a b Alvarez-Candal, Alvaro; Duffard, René; Angeli, Cláudia A.; Lazzaro, Daniela; Fernández, Silvia (December 2004). "Rotational lightcurves of asteroids belonging to families". Icarus. 172 (2): 388–401. Bibcode:2004Icar..172..388A. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.06.008.
- ^ a b Hanuš, J.; Ďurech, J.; Oszkiewicz, D. A.; Behrend, R.; Carry, B.; Delbo, M.; et al. (February 2016). "New and updated convex shape models of asteroids based on optical data from a large collaboration network". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 586: A108. arXiv:1510.07422. Bibcode:2016A&A...586A.108H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201527441. ISSN 0004-6361.
- ^ Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131.
- ^ "2001 G. Bruce Blair Award – Rev. Monsignor Ronald E. Royer". Western Amateur Astronomers. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
External links
edit- Royer Oaks Observatory, in Springville, California
- Holy Cross Church, Porterville, January 2012
- Lightcurve Database Query (LCDB), at www.minorplanet.info
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (5001)-(10000) – Minor Planet Center
- 5208 Royer at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 5208 Royer at the JPL Small-Body Database