2301 Whitford
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2301 Whitford, provisional designation Template:Mp, is a background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately Script error: No such module "convert". in diameter. It was discovered on 20 November 1965, by astronomers of the Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory in the United States.[1] The asteroid was named for American physicist and astronomer Albert Whitford.[1] The uncommon L-type asteroid has a rotation period of 14.3 hours.[2]
Orbit and classification
Whitford is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[3] It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.5–3.9 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,073 days; semi-major axis of 3.18 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic.[4]
The asteroid was first observed as Template:Mp at Lowell Observatory in October 1931. The body's observation arc begins ten years prior to its official discovery observation with its observation as Template:Mp at Goethe Link Observatory in January 1955.[1]
Physical characteristics
Whitford has been characterized as an uncommon L-type asteroid by Pan-STARRSTemplate:' photometric survey. It is also characterized as a common S-type asteroid in the SDSS-MFB (Masi Foglia Binzel) taxonomy.[2]Template:Efn
Rotation period
In April 2012, a rotational lightcurve of Whitford was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 14.275 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.35 magnitude (U=2Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".),[5] superseding a previous measurement of 27.1 hours (U=1Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".).Template:Efn
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, Whitford measures between 17.40 and 19.47 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.223 and 0.240.[6][7]
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 16.56 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.27.[2]
Naming
This minor planet was named after American physicist and astronomer Albert Whitford (1905–2002), who was a pioneer in photoelectric photometry. Whitford was also a director at the Washburn and Lick observatories, as well as a former president of the American Astronomical Society.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 December 1983 (M.P.C. 8403Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".).[8]
Notes
References
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External links
- SDSS Masi–Foglia–Binzel Spectroscopic classification
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Script error: No such module "webarchive".)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- Template:AstDys
- Template:PAGENAMEBASE at the JPL Small-Body DatabaseTemplate:EditAtWikidata
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