3367 Alex
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| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | N. G. Thomas |
| Discovery site | Anderson Mesa Stn. |
| Discovery date | 15 February 1983 |
| Designations | |
| (3367) Alex | |
Named after | Alex R. Baltutis (discoverer's grandson)[2] |
| 1983 CA3 · 1953 XM 1971 SH2 · 1981 UQ9 1981 UW15 | |
| main-belt · (middle)[3] background | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 63.42 yr (23,165 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9767 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.5915 AU |
| 2.7841 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0692 |
| 4.65 yr (1,697 days) | |
| 180.67° | |
| 0° 12m 43.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.3195° |
| 258.18° | |
| 237.17° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 9.607±0.124 km[4][5] 15.19±0.23 km[6] 16.96±1.11 km[7] 19.30 km (calculated)[3] |
| 9.6 h[8] 9.6±0.5 h[8] | |
| 0.057 (assumed)[3] 0.099±0.013[7] 0.101±0.014[5][6] 0.3033±0.0538[4] | |
| SMASS = X[1] E[4] · X[3] | |
| 12.3[1][3] · 12.00[7][4] · 12.20[6] · 12.77±0.25[9] | |
3367 Alex, provisional designation 1983 CA3, is a background asteroid from the intermediate region of the asteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers (11 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 2 September 1993, by American astronomer Norman Thomas at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station, near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States.[10] The X-type asteroid has a rotation period of 9.6 hours. It was named after the grandson of the discoverer, Alex Baltutis.[2]
Alex is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.6–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,697 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The asteroid was first identified as 1953 XM at Heidelberg Observatory in 1953, extending the body's observation arc by 30 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.[10]
Naming
This minor planet was named by the discoverer after his grandson, Alex R. Baltutis.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 March 1986 (M.P.C. 10550).[11]
