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4606 Saheki

Main belt asteroid From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

4606 Saheki
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4606 Saheki, provisional designation 1987 UM1, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter.

Quick Facts Discovery, Discovered by ...

The asteroid was discovered on 27 October 1987, by Japanese astronomer Tsutomu Seki at Geisei Observatory, Japan.[9] It was later named after Japanese astronomer Tsuneo Saheki.[2]

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Classification and orbit

Saheki is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest families of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,234 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1953, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 34 years prior to its discovery.[9]

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Physical characteristics

Rotation period

In January 2009, a rotational lightcurve of Saheki was obtained from photometric observations by David Higgins at Hunters Hill Observatory, Australia. Lightcurve analysis rendered a well-defined rotation period of 4.969 hours with a brightness variation of 0.56 in magnitude (U=3).[a]

Two months later, in March 2009, a second lightcurve was obtained at the Via Capote Observatory (G69), California. It gave a period of 5.032 and an amplitude of 0.68 in magnitude (U=3-).[7]

Spin axis

In 2013, an international study modeled a lightcurve with a concurring period of 4.97347 hours and found a spin axis of (44.0°, 59.0°) and (222.0°, 68.0°) in ecliptic coordinates (λ, β), respectively (Q=2).[6]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Saheki has a high albedo of 0.33 and a diameter of 6.7 kilometers,[4][5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link calculates a diameter of 7.1 kilometers, based on an assumed albedo of 0.24, derived from 8 Flora, the Flora family's namesake and largest member.[3]

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Naming

This minor planet was named after Japanese astronomer and president of the Toa Astronomical Society, Tsuneo Saheki (1916–1996). Over half a century, Saheki as gathered large inventory of observational data of the planet Mars.[2] The Martian crater Saheki is also named in his honour. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 28 May 1991 (M.P.C. 18308).[10]

Notes

  1. Higgins (2011) web: rotation period 4.969±0.003 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.56 mag. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assigns a quality code of U=3 to the period solution, which denotes a secure result within the precision given and no ambiguity. Summary figures for (4606) Saheki at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL)

References

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