5208 Royer
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_Royer.png) Shape model of Royer from its lightcurve | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 6 February 1989 |
| Designations | |
| (5208) Royer | |
Named after | Msgr Ronald E. Royer[1] (American priest and amateur astronomer) |
| 1989 CH1 | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (middle) Maria[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 64.29 yr (23,481 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.7241 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4844 AU |
| 2.6042 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0460 |
| 4.20 yr (1,535 d) | |
| 345.72° | |
| 0° 14m 4.2s / day | |
| Inclination | 15.904° |
| 124.56° | |
| 21.407° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 7.884±0.150 km[4] 8.081±0.121 km[5] 9.40 km (calculated)[6] | |
| 3.866 h[7] 3.88494±0.00005 h[8] | |
| 0.20 (assumed)[6] 0.270±0.059[5] 0.2854±0.0197[4] | |
| SMASS = S[2][6] | |
| 12.5[4][6] 12.6[2] | |
5208 Royer (prov. designation: 1989 CH1) is a stony Marian asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers (5 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 6 February 1989, by astronomer Eleanor Helin at the Palomar Observatory. The S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 3.87 hours and was named after American priest and amateur astronomer, Ronald Royer.[1][6]
Royer is a member of the Maria family (506),[3] a large family of stony asteroids with nearly 3,000 known members.[9]: 23
It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5–2.7 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,535 days; semi-major axis of 2.6 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 16° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in November 1953, more than 35 years prior to its official discovery observation.[1]
Naming
This minor planet was named after Reverend Ronald E. Royer, an American priest as well as amateur astronomer and astrophotographer.[1] He has been a member of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society (LAAS) since 1946 and received the G. Bruce Blair Award in 2001.[10] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 April 1993 (M.P.C. 21957).[11]
