8013 Gordonmoore
Eccentric, stony asteroid and near-Earth object
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
8013 Gordonmoore, provisional designation 1990 KA, is an eccentric, stony asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 1–2 kilometers in diameter.
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 18 May 1990 |
| Designations | |
| (8013) Gordonmoore | |
Named after | Gordon Moore (Intel co-founder)[2] |
| 1990 KA | |
| NEO · Amor[1][3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 64.90 yr (23,703 days) |
| Earliest precovery date | 1 September 1951 |
| Aphelion | 3.1498 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.2503 AU |
| 2.2000 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.4317 |
| 3.26 yr (1,192 days) | |
| 126.01° | |
| 0° 18m 7.2s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.5685° |
| 105.57° | |
| 146.73° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.2472 AU · 96.3 LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 1.04 km (derived)[4] 2.3 km[1] |
| 6 h (dated)[5] 8.40±0.01 h[6] | |
| 0.20 (assumed)[4] | |
| S[4] | |
| 16.67±0.2 (R)[4] · 16.9[1] · 17.26±0.149[7] · 17.26[4] · 17.27±0.15[8] | |
The asteroid was discovered on 18 May 1990, by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at Palomar Observatory in California, United States.[3] It was named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore.[2]
Orbit and classification
Gordonmoore orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.3–3.1 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,192 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.43 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
It has a minimum orbit intersection distance with Earth of 0.2472 AU (37,000,000 km), or 96.3 lunar distance. Due to its eccentric orbit, Gordonmoore is also Mars-crosser. In 2127, the asteroid will pass the Red Planet within 0.02776 AU (4,150,000 km).[1]
A first precovery was taken at the discovering Palomar Observatory in 1951, extending the body's observation arc by 39 years prior to its official discovery observation.[3]
Physical characteristics
Rotation period
In April 2016, a rotational lightcurve of Gordonmoore was obtained from photometric observations by astronomer Brian Warner at the Palmer Divide Station (716) in Colorado. It gave a rotation period of 8.40 hours with a brightness variation of 0.25 magnitude. Lightcurve analysis also gave an alternative period solution of 4.19 hours with an amplitude of 0.25 magnitude. (U=2).[6] The results supersede a previous observations made at the Hoher List Observatory in Germany, that gave a shorter period of 6 hours (U=1).[5]
Diameter and albedo
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 1.04 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 17.26.[4] In the 1990s, Tom Gehrels estimated the body's diameter to be 2.3 kilometers, assuming an albedo of 0.15.[1]
Naming
This minor planet was named in honour of American entrepreneur and billionaire, Gordon Moore (1929–2023), co-founder of Intel, known for his revolutionary vision of the future of computers, and author of Moore's law. As a philanthropist, Moore has supported research and education all his life.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 May 2002 (M.P.C. 45747).[9]
