79912 Terrell

79912 Terrell (provisional designation 1999 CC₃) is a dark Adeonian asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 10 February 1999, by astronomers Walter Cooney and Ethan Kandler at the Highland Road Park Observatory, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States.^[5] The asteroid was named after American astrophysicist Dirk Terrell.^[2]

79912 Terrell

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	W. R. Cooney Jr. E. Kandler
Discovery site	Baton Rouge Obs.
Discovery date	10 February 1999
Designations
MPC designation	(79912) Terrell
Named after	Dirk Terrell[2] (American astrophysicist)
Alternative designations	1999 CC3 · 1996 PP1
Minor planet category	main-belt · (middle) Adeona[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	20.65 yr (7,543 days)
Aphelion	3.1043 AU
Perihelion	2.2475 AU
Semi-major axis	2.6759 AU
Eccentricity	0.1601
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.38 yr (1,599 days)
Mean anomaly	318.81°
Mean motion	0° 13m 30.72s / day
Inclination	10.689°
Longitude of ascending node	307.69°
Argument of perihelion	326.67°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	6.340±0.744 km[4]
Geometric albedo	0.053±0.012[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.9[1]

Orbit and classification

Terrell is a member of the Adeona family (505),^[3] a large family of carbonaceous asteroids in the central main belt, named after 145 Adeona.^[6]: 23

It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.2–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,599 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1] The body's observation arc begins with its identification as 1996 PP₁ by AMOS at Haleakala Observatory in August 1996, more than two years prior to its official discovery observation at Baton Rouge.^[5]

Physical characteristics

The asteroid's spectral type is unknown. Members of the Adeona family are typically carbonaceous C-type asteroids,^[6]: 23 which Terrell's albedo agrees with.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Terrell measures 6.340 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a low albedo of 0.053.^[4]

Rotation period

As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Terrell has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.^[7]

Naming

This minor planet was named after American Dirk Terrell (born 1965), an astrophysicist, writer, space artist, and mentor of amateur astronomers.^[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 18 September 2005 (M.P.C. 54829).^[8]