5040 Rabinowitz
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| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 15 September 1972 |
| Designations | |
| (5040) Rabinowitz | |
Named after | David Rabinowitz (American astronomer)[2] |
| 1972 RF · 1987 QE | |
| main-belt · Phocaea[3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 46.20 yr (16,874 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9644 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8705 AU |
| 2.4174 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2263 |
| 3.76 yr (1,373 days) | |
| 7.0892° | |
| 0° 15m 43.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 24.361° |
| 175.69° | |
| 149.71° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.41 km (calculated)[3] |
| 4.472±0.001 h[5] 4.6901±0.0004 h[a] 4.691±0.001 h[6] | |
| 0.23 (assumed)[3] | |
| S[3] | |
| 12.73±0.13 (R)[a] · 12.9[1] · 13.15±0.35[7] · 13.18[3] | |
5040 Rabinowitz, provisional designation 1972 RF, is a stony Phocaea asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory on 15 September 1972.[8] Contrary to most of his discoveries, this asteroid is unrelated to the Palomar–Leiden survey and exclusively credited to Tom Gehrels.
The stony S-type asteroid is a member of the Phocaea family (701), a group of asteroids with similar orbital characteristics, named after its largest member, 25 Phocaea.[4] It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–3.0 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,373 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 24° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] A first precovery was taken at the discovering observatory in 1971, extending the body's observation arc by one year prior to its official discovery observation.[8]
Physical characteristics
Rotation period
In July 2013, a rotational lightcurve for this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at the Ondřejov Observatory. The well-defined lightcurve gave a rotation period of 4.6901±0.0004 hours with a brightness variation of 0.33 in magnitude (U=3).[a]
During the same opposition opportunity, two more lightcurves – obtained by Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies and by Maurice Clark at the Preston Gott Observatory – gave a similar period of 4.691 and 4.472 hours, with an amplitude of 0.35 and 0.31 in magnitude, respectively (U=3-/2+).[5][6]
Diameter and albedo
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.23, derived from the Phocaea family's namesake, and calculates a diameter of 6.4 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.18.[3]
Naming
This minor planet was named after American astronomer David Rabinowitz (born 1960), a discoverer of minor planets himself and researcher at Yale University. The naming also honors his work for the Spacewatch program.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 September 1993 (M.P.C. 22505).[9]
