1714 Sy

1714 Sy, provisional designation 1951 OA, is a stony asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 25 July 1951, by French astronomer Louis Boyer at Algiers Observatory in Algeria, North Africa, and named after French astronomer and orbit computer Frédéric Sy.^[2][6]

1714 Sy

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	L. Boyer
Discovery site	Algiers Obs.
Discovery date	25 July 1951
Designations
MPC designation	(1714) Sy
Named after	Frédéric Sy (astronomer)[2]
Alternative designations	1951 OA · 1949 YM 1950 DE1 · 1951 NM
Minor planet category	main-belt · (middle)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	67.24 yr (24,559 days)
Aphelion	2.9621 AU
Perihelion	2.1732 AU
Semi-major axis	2.5677 AU
Eccentricity	0.1536
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.11 yr (1,503 days)
Mean anomaly	50.188°
Mean motion	0° 14m 22.56s / day
Inclination	7.9715°
Longitude of ascending node	300.91°
Argument of perihelion	321.00°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	12.39 km (calculated)[3] 13.998±0.881 km[4]
Geometric albedo	0.157±0.034[4] 0.20 (assumed)[3]
Spectral type	L[5] · S[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	11.85±0.29[5] · 11.9[1][3][4]

Orbit

Sy orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,503 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1]

It was first identified as 1949 YM at Goethe Link Observatory in 1948, extending the body's observation arc by 3 years prior to its official discovery observation at Algiers.^[6]

Physical characteristics

PanSTARRS' large-scale survey characterized Sy as a L-type asteroid, a rare subtype which falls into the broader complex of stony S-type asteroids.^[5]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Sy measures 13.998 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.157,^[4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 12.39 kilometers with on an absolute magnitude of 11.9.^[3]

Photometry

In March 2012, photometric observations at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory (E09), Australia, included this asteroid as a target. Due to rain and cloud coverage, no lightcurve could be constructed, and therefore no rotation period could be derived. However the 86 photometric data points allowed to find a maximum brightness variation of 0.95 magnitude (U=none).^[7] A high brightness amplitude of 0.95 is a strong indicator, that the body has a non-spheroidal shape. As of 2017, Sy's rotation period still remains unknown.^[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Frédéric Sy, who worked as a human orbit computer and as an assistant astronomer at Algiers and Paris Observatory, respectively. At Algiers Observatory, he observed asteroids and comets and was the first to discoverer a numbered minor planet, 858 El Djezaïr, in 1916.^[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 August 1978 (M.P.C. 4419).^[8]