3552 Don Quixote
Eccentric near-Earth asteroid
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3552 Don Quixote, provisionally designated 1983 SA, is an exceptionally eccentric asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Amor group, Mars-crosser and Jupiter-crosser, as well as a weakly active comet.
| |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | P. Wild |
| Discovery site | Zimmerwald Obs. |
| Discovery date | 26 September 1983 |
| Designations | |
| (3552) Don Quixote | |
Named after | Don Quixote fictional character[2] |
| 1983 SA | |
| NEO · Amor[1] Mars-crosser Jupiter-crosser Centaur[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 33.71 yr (12,312 days) |
| Aphelion | 7.2783 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.2399 AU |
| 4.2591 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.7089 |
| 8.79 yr (3,211 days) | |
| 332.47° | |
| 0° 6m 43.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 31.092° |
| 350.03° | |
| 316.42° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.3338 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.4397 AU |
| TJupiter | 2.3150 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 18.4±0.4 km[4] |
| 7.7 h (0.32 d)[3][5] | |
| 0.03[1][4] | |
| D (Tholen) · D (SMASS) | |
| 11.67 (1957) to 22.32[a] | |
| 12.9 | |
Discovery and naming
The asteroid was discovered on 26 September 1983, by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild at Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland.[6] It was named after the comic knight who is the eponymous hero of Cervantes' Spanish novel Don Quixote (1605).[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 December 1990 (M.P.C. 17466).[7]
Orbit and characteristics
Don Quixote is characterized as a dark D-type asteroid in the Tholen and SMASS taxonomy.[1]
It has a highly inclined comet-like orbit of 31 degrees that leads to frequent perturbations by Jupiter.[8] Don Quixote measures 18.4 kilometres in diameter and has a rotation period of 7.7 hours.[1][4]
Due to its comet-like orbit and albedo, Don Quixote has been suspected to be an extinct comet.[9] However, infrared observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope at 4.5 μm revealed a faint coma and tail around the object.[4] The cometary activity is inferred by carbon dioxide (CO2) molecular band emission. In March 2018 a tail was observed at visible wavelengths for the first time.[10] The observation of cometary features during two apparitions suggests that cometary activity is recurrent and Don Quixote is most likely a weakly active comet.[11]
Notes
- Magnitudes generated with JPL Horizons for the year 1950 through 2100
