4429 Chinmoy
Main-belt asteroid
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4429 Chinmoy, provisional designation 1978 RJ2, is a Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 12 September 1978, by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean Peninsula.[1] The likely S-type asteroid was named after Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy.[1]
Chinmoy imaged in November 2015 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | N. Chernykh |
| Discovery site | Crimean Astrophysical Obs. |
| Discovery date | 12 September 1978 |
| Designations | |
| (4429) Chinmoy | |
Named after | Sri Chinmoy[1] (Indian spiritual leader) |
| 1978 RJ2 · 1978 RN1 1978 RR4 · 1980 FP2 1980 FX6 · 1987 DL2 | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (inner) Nysa[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 05 May 2025 (JD 2460800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 70.27 yr (25,667 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.888141253195207 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.872856138062281 AU |
| 2.380498695628744 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2132505086008386 |
| 3.672908624768403 yr (1341,529875196659 d) | |
| 227.6172089339865° | |
| 0° 16m 6.24s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.457653536105314° |
| 326.8470471482925° | |
| 67.97928881241477° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 3.498±0.959 km[4] | |
| P1= 44.99 ±0.05h P2= 50.35 ±0.08h | |
| 0.229±0.145[4] | |
| S (Nysian member)[3] | |
| 14.6[1][2] | |
Orbit and classification
Chinmoy is a member of the Nysa family (405),[3] one of the largest asteroid families and part of the Nysa–Polana complex with nearly 20 thousand identified members.[5]
It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,341 days; semi-major axis of 2.38 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]
The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in February 1954, more than 24 years prior to its official discovery observation at Nauchnij.[1]
Physical characteristics
Chinmoy has an absolute magnitude of 14.6.[2] While its spectral type has not been determined, it is likely a stony S-type asteroid based on its membership to the Nysa family and its albedo (see below).[2][3] 4429 Chinmoy appears to be in non-principal axis rotation ("tumbling") with P1= 44.99 ±0.05h main period and P2= 50.35 ±0.08h secondary period (Center for Solar System Studies Observatory, August 2022).[2]
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Chinmoy measures 3.498 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.229.[4]
Naming
This minor planet was named after Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy (1931–2007).[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 April 1994 (M.P.C. 23351).[6]
