1054 Forsytia

1054 Forsytia /fɔːrˈsɪtiə/ is a dark background asteroid, approximately 46 kilometers in diameter, from the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 20 November 1925, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany and assigned provisional designation 1925 WD.^[14] It is named after the flowering plant forsythia, and marks the beginning of a sequence of 28 thematically named asteroids by the discoverer.^[3]

1054 Forsytia

Shape model of Forsytia from its lightcurve
Discovery[1]
Discovered by	K. Reinmuth
Discovery site	Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date	20 November 1925
Designations
MPC designation	(1054) Forsytia
Pronunciation	/fɔːrˈsɪtiə/[2]
Named after	Forsythia (flowering plant)[3]
Alternative designations	1925 WD · 1962 DD A907 EA
Minor planet category	main-belt · (outer)[4] background[5]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	110.32 yr (40,295 days)
Aphelion	3.3198 AU
Perihelion	2.5284 AU
Semi-major axis	2.9241 AU
Eccentricity	0.1353
Orbital period (sidereal)	5.00 yr (1,826 days)
Mean anomaly	165.01°
Mean motion	0° 11m 49.56s / day
Inclination	10.849°
Longitude of ascending node	85.888°
Argument of perihelion	294.19°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	42.867±11.18 km[6] 45.42 km (derived)[4] 45.47±4.3 km[7] 46.40±13.38 km[8] 46.69±15.08 km[9] 47.780±3.344 km[10] 53.04±0.71 km[11]
Synodic rotation period	7.650±0.001 h[12]
Geometric albedo	0.035±0.013[10] 0.04±0.07[8] 0.048±0.002[11] 0.05±0.03[9] 0.0592 (derived)[4] 0.0648±0.014[7] 0.0750±0.0441[6]
Spectral type	C (assumed)[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	10.12[6] · 10.12±0.51[13] · 10.30[7][11] · 10.40[1][4][9] · 10.46[8] · 10.87[10]

Orbit and classification

Forsytia is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.^[5] It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5–3.3 AU once every 5.00 years (1,826 days; semi-major axis of 2.92 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1] The asteroid was first observed as A907 EA at Heidelberg in March 1907. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation in November 1925.^[14]

Naming

This minor planet was named after forsythia, a genus of flowering shrubs in the family Oleaceae. The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 100).^[3]

Reinmuth's flowers

Due to his many discoveries, Karl Reinmuth submitted a large list of 66 newly named asteroids in the early 1930s. The list covered his discoveries with numbers between (1009) and (1200). This list also contained a sequence of 28 asteroids, starting with this asteroid, that were all named after plants, in particular flowering plants (also see list of minor planets named after animals and plants).^[3]

Physical characteristics

Forsytia is an assumed carbonaceous C-type asteroid.^[4]

Rotation period

In March 2002, a rotational lightcurve of Forsytia was obtained from photometric observations by American amateur astronomer John Gross at his Sonoran Skies Observatory (G94) in Arizona. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 7.650 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.23 magnitude (U=3).^[12]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Forsytia measures between 42.867 and 53.04 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.035 and 0.0750.^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]} The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0592 and a diameter of 45.42 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.4.^[4]