2054 Gawain
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| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. J. van Houten I. van Houten-G. T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 September 1960 |
| Designations | |
| (2054) Gawain | |
Named after | Gawain (Arthurian legend)[2] |
| 4097 P-L · 1973 FG1 | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 62.52 yr (22,834 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.2591 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6716 AU |
| 2.9653 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0991 |
| 5.11 yr (1,865 days) | |
| 315.28° | |
| 0° 11m 34.8s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.7886° |
| 293.24° | |
| 183.97° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 17.28±4.94 km[4] 18.042±0.245 km[5][6] 19.95 km (derived)[3] 20.05±2.1 km[7] 20.77±0.63 km[8] |
| 11.1098±0.0004 h[9] 11.5±0.1 h[10] 11.581±0.0194 h[11] | |
| 0.0444 (derived)[3] 0.06±0.04[4] 0.068±0.005[8] 0.0697±0.017[7] 0.073±0.008[5][6] | |
| C[3] | |
| 12.00[5][8] · 12.5[1][3][4] · 12.507±0.010 (R)[11] · 12.53±0.34 (R)[10] | |
2054 Gawain, provisional designation 4097 P-L, is a dark and elongated asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 19 kilometers in diameter. Discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey at Palomar Observatory in 1960, the asteroid was later named after Gawain, a knight of King Arthur's Round Table in the Arthurian legend.[2]
Palomar–Leiden survey
Gawain was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten, as well as Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels from images taken at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego, California, in the United States.[12]
The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand asteroids.[13]
Orbit and classification
Gawain orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.3 AU once every 5 years and 1 month (1,865 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The asteroid's observation arc begins 6 years prior to its official discovery observation, with a precovery taken at the discovering Palomar Observatory in July 1954.[12]
