51823 Rickhusband
Main-belt asteroid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
51823 Rickhusband (provisional designation 2001 OY28) is a dark Lixiaohua asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter.
(American astronaut)[2]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | NEAT |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 18 July 2001 |
| Designations | |
Named after | Rick Husband (American astronaut)[2] |
| 2001 OY28 · 1994 JM7 2000 KM25 | |
| main-belt · (outer) Lixiaohua[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 22.10 yr (8,073 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.8268 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4604 AU |
| 3.1436 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2173 |
| 5.57 yr (2,036 days) | |
| 244.46° | |
| 0° 10m 36.48s / day | |
| Inclination | 11.556° |
| 58.048° | |
| 347.14° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 8.731±0.159 km[4] |
| 0.048±0.005[4] | |
| 14.3[1] | |
It was discovered on 18 July 2001, by astronomers of the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking at Palomar Observatory in California, United States.[5] The asteroid was named after American astronaut Rick Husband, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.[2]
Orbit and classification
Rickhusband is a member of the Lixiaohua family, an outer-belt asteroid family of more than 700 known members, which consists of C- and X-type asteroids.[3][6]: 23
It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.5–3.8 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,036 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The body's observation arc begins with its first identification as 1994 JM7 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak Observatory in May 1994, more than 7 years prior to its official discovery observation by NEAT.[5]
Physical characteristics
Rotation period
As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Rickhusband has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, poles and shape remains unknown.[7]
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Rickhusband measures 8.731 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.048.[4]
Naming
This minor planet was named in memory of American astronaut Rick Husband (1957–2003), who was the commander of STS-107 and was killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on 1 February 2003. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 August 2003 (M.P.C. 49283).[8]
