40463 Frankkameny
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| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | G. W. Billings |
| Discovery site | Calgary Obs. (681) |
| Discovery date | 15 September 1999 |
| Designations | |
| (40463) Frankkameny | |
Named after | Frank Kameny (gay rights activist)[2] |
| 1999 RE44 · 1997 EJ19 | |
| main-belt · (middle) background | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 19.17 yr (7,002 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.2810 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.2761 AU |
| 2.7786 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1808 |
| 4.63 yr (1,692 days) | |
| 338.05° | |
| 0° 12m 46.08s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.4415° |
| 302.75° | |
| 32.248° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 3.855±0.638 km[3][4] 4.23 km (calculated)[5] | |
| 56.5554±0.2034 h[6] | |
| 0.057 (assumed)[5] 0.075±0.028[3][4] | |
| C[5][7] | |
| 15.147±0.004 (R)[6] · 15.2[1] · 15.38±0.05[7] · 15.5[3] · 15.6[5] | |
40463 Frankkameny (provisional designation 1999 RE44) is a carbonaceous background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 September 1999, by Canadian amateur astronomer Gary Billings at Calgary Observatory (681) in Alberta, Canada. The asteroid was named after American activist Frank Kameny.[2]
Frankkameny is a non-family from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.3–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,692 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Frankkameny was first identified as 1997 EJ19 by Spacewatch in 1997, extending the asteroid's observation arc by more than 2 years prior to its discovery observation.[2]
Physical characteristics
Frankkameny has been characterized as a carbonaceous C-type asteroid by Pan-STARRS photometric survey.[7]
Rotation period
It has a rotation period of 56.6 hours with a brightness variation of 0.51 magnitude, based on a lightcurve obtained in September 2013, from photometric observations made at the Palomar Transient Factory, California (U=2).[6] While not being a slow rotator, Frankkameny's period is far longer than average, and its brightness amplitude is indicative of a non-spheroidal shape.
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Frankkameny measures 3.9 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.075,[3][4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 4.2 kilometers.[5]
