8815 Deanregas
Discovery [1]
Discovered byH. Debehogne
Discovery siteLa Silla Obs.
Discovery date23 February 1984
Designations
(8815) Deanregas
Named after
Dean Regas
(American astronomer)[1]
1984 DR · 1969 VX1
1994 AN1
main-belt[2][1] · (inner)
Flora [3]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc48.52 yr (17,723 d)
Aphelion2.5619 AU
Perihelion1.9434 AU
2.2527 AU
Eccentricity0.1373
3.38 yr (1,235 d)
89.021°
0° 17m 29.4s / day
Inclination5.7963°
141.32°
291.38°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
4.527±0.126[4]
0.285±0.049[4]
13.9[1][2]

    8815 Deanregas, provisional designation 1984 DR, is a Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 23 February 1984, by Belgian astronomer Henri Debehogne at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile.[1] The asteroid was named for American astronomer Dean Regas.

    Orbit and classification

    Deanregas is a member of the Flora family,[3] one of the largest asteroid clans of stony asteroid groupings. 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 (1,235 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] It was first observed as 1969 VX1 at Crimea–Nauchnij in 1969, extending the body's observation arc by 15 years prior to its official discovery observation.[1]

    Physical characteristics

    According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Deanregas measures 4.527 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.285.[4] As of 2017, Deanregas' spectral type, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.[2][5]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named for Dean Regas (born 1973), an astronomer at Cincinnati Observatory, responsible for science outreach activities and a national popularizer of astronomy. He is also a co-host of the prolific PBS show Star Gazers and author of Facts From Space.[1][6] The approved naming citation was suggested by Fred N. Bowman and published by the Minor Planet Center on 5 January 2015 (M.P.C. 91790).[7]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "8815 Deanregas (1984 DR)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 8815 Deanregas (1984 DR)" (2017-01-07 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
    3. 1 2 "Asteroid 8815 Deanregas". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
    4. 1 2 3 Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; Cabrera, M. S. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. S2CID 46350317. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
    5. ↑ "LCDB Data for (8815) Deanregas". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 10 March 2017.
    6. ↑ "Dean Regas: Your Astronomer". Cincinnati Observatory. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
    7. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
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