6470 Aldrin
Discovery [1]
Discovered byA. Mrkos
Discovery siteKleť Obs.
Discovery date14 September 1982
Designations
(6470) Aldrin
Named after
Buzz Aldrin
(astronaut, Apollo 11)[2]
1982 RO1 · 1989 UU2
main-belt · Flora [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc34.18 yr (12,485 days)
Aphelion2.6217 AU
Perihelion1.9283 AU
2.2750 AU
Eccentricity0.1524
3.43 yr (1,253 days)
43.625°
0° 17m 13.92s / day
Inclination2.7915°
237.94°
152.48°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions3.00 km (calculated)[3]
5.9944±0.0014 h[4]
0.24 (assumed)[3]
S [3][5]
14.3[1] · 14.88±0.23[5] · 14.329±0.002 (R)[4] · 14.78[3]

    6470 Aldrin, provisional designation 1982 RO1, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter.

    The asteroid was discovered by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at Kleť Observatory on 14 September 1982.[6] It was named for American astronaut Buzz Aldrin.[2]

    Orbit and classification

    Aldrin 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 1.9–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,253 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The asteroid's observation arc begins in 1982, as no precoveries were taken and no prior identifications were made.[6]

    Physical characteristics

    A rotational lightcurve of Aldrin was obtained from photometric observations made at the U.S. Palomar Transient Factory in September 2013. The lightcurve gave a rotation period of 5.9944±0.0014 hours with a brightness variation of 0.82 in magnitude (U=2).[4]

    The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of this orbital family – and calculates a diameter of 3.0 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.78.[3]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named for American astronaut Buzz Aldrin (born 1930), on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.[2]

    He was one of the first two humans to land on the Moon, and the second person to walk on it, following Neil Armstrong, after whom the asteroid 6469 Armstrong is named. Its name was suggested by Czech astronomers Jana Tichá, Miloš Tichý and Zdeněk Moravec, who observed the asteroid during its 1995-opposition, shortly before being numbered.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 May 1999 (M.P.C. 34623).[7]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 6470 Aldrin (1982 RO1)" (2016-11-19 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
    2. 1 2 3 4 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(6470) Aldrin". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (6470) Aldrin. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 535. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_5889. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (6470) Aldrin". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 8 May 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. S2CID 8342929. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
    5. 1 2 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 8 May 2016.
    6. 1 2 "6470 Aldrin (1982 RO1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
    7. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
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