1054 Forsytia
Dark background asteroid
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1054 Forsytia /fÉËrËsɪtiÉ/ is a dark background asteroid, approximately 46 kilometers in diameter, from the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 20 November 1925, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany and assigned provisional designation 1925 WD.[14] It is named after the flowering plant forsythia, and marks the beginning of a sequence of 28 thematically named asteroids by the discoverer.[3]
_Forsytia.png)
Shape model of Forsytia from its lightcurve | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 20 November 1925 |
| Designations | |
| (1054) Forsytia | |
| Pronunciation | /fÉËrËsɪtiÉ/[2] |
Named after | Forsythia (flowering plant)[3] |
| 1925 WD · 1962 DD A907 EA | |
| main-belt · (outer)[4] background[5] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 110.32 yr (40,295 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.3198 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.5284 AU |
| 2.9241 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1353 |
| 5.00 yr (1,826 days) | |
| 165.01° | |
| 0° 11m 49.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 10.849° |
| 85.888° | |
| 294.19° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 42.867±11.18 km[6] 45.42 km (derived)[4] 45.47±4.3 km[7] 46.40±13.38 km[8] 46.69±15.08 km[9] 47.780±3.344 km[10] 53.04±0.71 km[11] |
| 7.650±0.001 h[12] | |
| 0.035±0.013[10] 0.04±0.07[8] 0.048±0.002[11] 0.05±0.03[9] 0.0592 (derived)[4] 0.0648±0.014[7] 0.0750±0.0441[6] | |
| C (assumed)[4] | |
| 10.12[6] · 10.12±0.51[13] · 10.30[7][11] · 10.40[1][4][9] · 10.46[8] · 10.87[10] | |
Orbit and classification
Forsytia is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[5] It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5â3.3 AU once every 5.00 years (1,826 days; semi-major axis of 2.92 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The asteroid was first observed as A907 EA at Heidelberg in March 1907. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation in November 1925.[14]
Naming
This minor planet was named after forsythia, a genus of flowering shrubs in the family Oleaceae. The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 100).[3]
Reinmuth's flowers
Due to his many discoveries, Karl Reinmuth submitted a large list of 66 newly named asteroids in the early 1930s. The list covered his discoveries with numbers between (1009) and (1200). This list also contained a sequence of 28 asteroids, starting with this asteroid, that were all named after plants, in particular flowering plants (also see list of minor planets named after animals and plants).[3]
Physical characteristics
Forsytia is an assumed carbonaceous C-type asteroid.[4]
Rotation period
In March 2002, a rotational lightcurve of Forsytia was obtained from photometric observations by American amateur astronomer John Gross at his Sonoran Skies Observatory (G94) in Arizona. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 7.650 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.23 magnitude (U=3).[12]
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Forsytia measures between 42.867 and 53.04 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.035 and 0.0750.[6][7][8][9][10][11] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0592 and a diameter of 45.42 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.4.[4]
