3202 Graff
Discovery [1]
Discovered byM. F. Wolf
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date3 January 1908
Designations
(3202) Graff
Named after
Gareth V. Williams
(astronomer)[2]
A908 AA · 1981 ES13
main-belt[1] · Hilda [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc109.02 yr (39,819 days)
Aphelion4.3883 AU
Perihelion3.4843 AU
3.9363 AU
Eccentricity0.1148
7.81 yr (2,853 days)
295.10°
0° 7m 34.32s / day
Inclination11.107°
205.14°
268.81°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions35.914±0.244[4]
36.78 km (calculated)[3]
17.32±0.02 h[5]
0.055±0.013[4]
0.057 (assumed)[3]
D [6] · C [3]
10.9[1][3] · 11.31±0.28[6]

    3202 Graff, provisional designation A908 AA, is a carbonaceous Hilda asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 36 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 January 1908, by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.[7] The asteroid was named after astronomer Gareth V. Williams.[2]

    Orbit and classification

    Graff belongs to the Hilda family of asteroids, which are in a 3:2 orbital resonance with the giant planet Jupiter. It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 3.5–4.4 AU once every 7 years and 10 months (2,853 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The asteroid's observation arc begins 3 weeks after its discovery with its first used observation at Heidelberg.[7]

    Physical characteristics

    The dark C-type asteroid is classified as a rare D-type by Pan-STARRS' large-scale survey,[6]

    In July 2015, a rotational lightcurve of Graff was obtained by astronomer Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies. It gave a well-defined rotation period of 17.32±0.02 hours with a brightness variation of 0.18 in magnitude (U=3-).[5]

    According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Graff measures 35.9 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.055.[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 36.8 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 10.9.[3]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after English-born astronomer Gareth "Graff" Vaughan Williams (born 1965), who identified various low-numbered asteroids among bodies that had been given provisional designations. His work at the Minor Planet Center (MPC) has received much recognition.[2]

    The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 10 April 1990 (M.P.C. 16245),[8] based on a suggestion by long-time MPC director Brian G. Marsden (1937–2000) and by Conrad M. Bardwell (1926–2010), associate director of the MPC and who made the identification for this body.[2] The minor planets 1615 Bardwell and 1877 Marsden were named in honor of these two prominent astronomers at the MPC.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3202 Graff (A908 AA)" (2017-01-09 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
    2. 1 2 3 4 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3202) Graff". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 266. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3203. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (3202) Graff". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 10 July 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Bauer, J.; Masiero, J.; Spahr, T.; McMillan, R. S.; et al. (January 2012). "WISE/NEOWISE Observations of the Hilda Population: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 744 (2): 15. arXiv:1110.0283. Bibcode:2012ApJ...744..197G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/744/2/197. S2CID 44000310. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
    5. 1 2 Stephens, Robert D. (January 2016). "Asteroids Observed from CS3: 2015 July - September". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 43 (1): 52–56. Bibcode:2016MPBu...43...52S. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
    6. 1 2 3 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. S2CID 53493339. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
    7. 1 2 "3202 Graff (A908 AA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
    8. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
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