2246 Bowell
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. Bowell |
| Discovery site | Anderson Mesa Stn. |
| Discovery date | 14 December 1979 |
| Designations | |
| (2246) Bowell | |
Named after | Edward Bowell (American astronomer)[2] |
| 1979 XH · 1942 GP 1973 FH2 · 1973 FR 1976 SL6 · 1977 SM3 | |
| main-belt · Hilda [3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 62.06 yr (22,666 days) |
| Aphelion | 4.3289 AU |
| Perihelion | 3.5863 AU |
| 3.9576 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0938 |
| 7.87 yr (2,876 days) | |
| 244.37° | |
| 0° 7m 30.72s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.4941° |
| 155.66° | |
| 21.544° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.6437 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 40.73±1.70 km[5] 44.21±3.2 km (IRAS:6)[6] 48.424±0.429[7] |
| 4.992 h[8] | |
| 0.045±0.012[7] 0.0540±0.009 (IRAS:6)[6] 0.066±0.006[5] | |
| D (Tholen and SMASS)[1] D [3] B–V = 0.746[1] U–B = 0.239[1] | |
| 10.56[1][3][5][6] · 10.65±0.20[9] | |
2246 Bowell, provisional designation 1979 XH, is a rare-type Hildian asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 44 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 14 December 1979, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell Observatory's Anderson Mesa Station, and named after the discoverer himself.[2][4]
Orbit and classification
Bowell is a member of the Hilda family, the outermost orbital group of asteroids in the main-belt, that are in a 3:2 orbital resonance with Jupiter.[4]
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 3.6–4.3 AU once every 7 years and 10 months (2,876 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first used precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1955, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 24 years prior to its discovery.[4]
Physical characteristics
Bowell has a reddish D-type spectrum on both the SMASS and Tholen taxonomic scheme, and is one of only 46 known bodies with such a spectral type.[10]
Rotation period
A rotational lightcurve of Bowell was obtained during a photometric survey of Hildian asteroids at the Uppsala Astronomical Observatory and others places in the late 1990s. The lightcurve gave a well-defined rotation period of 4.992 hours with a brightness variation of 0.46 in magnitude (U=3).[8]
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS (six observations), and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Bowell measures 40.7, 44.2 and 48.4 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.066, 0.054 and 0.045, respectively.[5][6][7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the results obtained by IRAS.[3]
Naming
This minor planet was named in honor of its discoverer, the American astronomer Edward L. G. Bowell (born 1943), based on a proposal by MPC's longtime director Brian G. Marsden. Astronomer at the Lowell Observatory and a prolific discoverer of minor planets himself, Bowell has made significant contributions on the observatory's UBV photometry and astrometry programs for minor planets, including the prediction of occultation events.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 January 1981 (M.P.C. 5688).[11]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2246 Bowell (1979 XH)" (2017-02-04 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
- ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2246) Bowell. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 183. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d "LCDB Data for (2246) Bowell". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d "2246 Bowell (1979 XH)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b c d Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ a b c Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Bauer, J.; Masiero, J.; Spahr, T.; McMillan, R. S.; et al. (January 2012). "WISE/NEOWISE Observations of the Hilda Population: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 744 (2): 15. arXiv:1110.0283. Bibcode:2012ApJ...744..197G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/744/2/197. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ a b Dahlgren, M.; Lahulla, J. F.; Lagerkvist, C.-I.; Lagerros, J.; Mottola, S.; Erikson, A.; et al. (June 1998). "A Study of Hilda Asteroids. V. Lightcurves of 47 Hilda Asteroids". Icarus. 133 (2): 247–285. Bibcode:1998Icar..133..247D. doi:10.1006/icar.1998.5919. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Search Engine: [ spec. type = D (Tholen) or spec. type = D (SMASSII) ]". JPL Solar System Dynamics. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- 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
- 2246 Bowell at the JPL Small-Body Database
