1762 Russell

1762 Russell, provisional designation 1953 TZ, is a stony Koronian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by the Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, on 8 October 1953.^[10] The asteroid was named after American astronomer Henry Norris Russell.^[2]

1762 Russell

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	Indiana University (Indiana Asteroid Program)
Discovery site	Goethe Link Obs.
Discovery date	8 October 1953
Designations
MPC designation	(1762) Russell
Named after	Henry Norris Russell[2] (American astronomer)[2]
Alternative designations	1953 TZ · 1947 LM 1953 TW2 · 1956 GF 1963 VN
Minor planet category	main-belt · (outer) Koronis[3][4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	69.52 yr (25,393 days)
Aphelion	3.0998 AU
Perihelion	2.6514 AU
Semi-major axis	2.8756 AU
Eccentricity	0.0780
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.88 yr (1,781 days)
Mean anomaly	21.771°
Mean motion	0° 12m 7.56s / day
Inclination	2.2793°
Longitude of ascending node	160.64°
Argument of perihelion	233.54°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	15.61 km (calculated)[3] 16.576±0.195 km[5] 16.93±0.97 km[6] 17.03±0.21 km[7] 17.033±0.209 km[7]
Synodic rotation period	12.797±0.007 h[8]
Geometric albedo	0.118±0.015[6] 0.1227±0.0369[5] 0.201±0.022[7] 0.24 (assumed)[3]
Spectral type	S[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	11.20[7][1][3] · 11.69±0.12[9] · 11.80[6][5]

Orbit and classification

Russell is a member of the Koronis family (605), a very large outer asteroid family with nearly co-planar ecliptical orbits.^[3][4] It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 11 months (1,781 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1]

The asteroid was first identified as 1947 LM at Lowell Observatory in June 1947. The body's observation arc begins with a precovery at Goethe Link Observatory in February 1950, more than 3 years prior to its official discovery observation.^[10]

Physical characteristics

Russell is an assumed stony S-type asteroid, which agrees with the overall spectral type of the Koronis family.^{[3][11]: 23}

Rotation period

In April 2014, a rotational lightcurve of Russell was obtained from photometric observations at the Sonoita Research Observatory (G93) and Etscorn Campus Observatory (719). Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 12.797 hours with a brightness variation of 0.46 magnitude (U=3-).^[8]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Russell measures between 16.576 and 17.033 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.118 and 0.201.^[5][6][7]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 and calculates a diameter of 15.61 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.2.^[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named after distinguished American astronomer Henry Norris Russell (1877–1957), noted for the H–R diagram and research on a variety of topics in fundamental astronomy, astrophysics, and the analysis of atomic spectra (see Russell–Saunders coupling).^[2]

The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 February 1971 (M.P.C. 3143).^[12] Russell is also honored by both a lunar and a Martian crater.^[2]