1736 Floirac

1736 Floirac, provisional designation 1967 RA, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8.7 kilometer in diameter.

1736 Floirac

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	G. Soulié
Discovery site	Bordeaux Obs.
Discovery date	6 September 1967
Designations
MPC designation	(1736) Floirac
Named after	Floirac, Gironde (location of observatory)[2]
Alternative designations	1967 RA · 1927 RB 1927 SN · 1934 XC 1937 RP · 1952 DO1 1957 TC · 1957 US 1962 CN · A914 WD
Minor planet category	main-belt · Flora[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	89.65 yr (32,745 days)
Aphelion	2.6074 AU
Perihelion	1.8500 AU
Semi-major axis	2.2287 AU
Eccentricity	0.1699
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.33 yr (1,215 days)
Mean anomaly	331.80°
Inclination	4.5502°
Longitude of ascending node	159.80°
Argument of perihelion	248.92°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	8.617±0.075[4] 8.701±0.119 km[5] 8.729 km[6] 8.73 km (taken)[3] 9.50±0.30 km[7] 10.08±0.34 km[8]
Synodic rotation period	6.775±0.001 h[a][b] 12.28±0.06 h[9]
Geometric albedo	0.252±0.020[8] 0.258±0.060[7] 0.2711[6] 0.2994±0.0420[5] 0.302±0.021[4]
Spectral type	S[3][10]
Absolute magnitude (H)	11.84±0.07 (R)[a] · 12.20[8][7] · 12.24[5] · 12.33±0.086[3][6] · 12.4[1] · 12.44±0.33[10]

It was discovered on 6 September 1967, by French astronomer Guy Soulié at Bordeaux Observatory in southwestern France, who named it after the French town of Floirac.^[2][11]

Classification and orbit

Floirac is a member of the Flora family. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.9–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,215 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1]

First observed as A914 WD at Simeiz Observatory in 1914, the body's observation arc begins with its 1927-identification as 1927 RB at Heidelberg Observatory, approximately 40 years prior to its official discovery observation at Bordeaux.^[11]

Physical characteristics

This asteroid has been characterized as a stony S-type asteroid by PanSTARRS' photometric survey.^[10]

Lightcurves

In October 2007, a rotational lightcurve of Floirac was obtained from photometric observations by astronomer Petr Pravec and collaborating colleges. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 6.775 hours with a low brightness variation of 0.08 magnitude (U=3).^[a][b] An alternative period solution of 12.28 hours (Δmag 0.25) was found by French amateur astronomer Laurent Bernasconi in June 2006 (U=2).^[9]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Floirac measures between 8.617 and 10.08 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.252 and 0.302.^[4][5][7][8]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link takes an albedo of 0.2711 and a diameter of 8.73 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.4, based on Petr Pravec's revised WISE-data.^[3][6]

Naming

This minor planet was named by the discoverer for Floirac, a French town in the Département Gironde, near Bordeaux, where the discovering observatory is located.^[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 July 1968 (M.P.C. 2883).^[12]

Notes

1. Pravec (2007) web: rotation period 6.775±0.001 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.08 mag. Quality Code is 3. Summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) for (1736) Floirac and Pravec, P.; Wolf, M.; Sarounova, L. (2007)
2. Lightcurve plot of 1736 Floirac by Higgins and Pravec, from Ondrejov data obtained by the NEO Photometric Program and collaborating projects