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63305 Bobkepple

Asteroid


Asteroid

FieldValue
minorplanetyes
name63305 Bobkepple
background#D6D6D6
discovery_ref
discovererD. Healy
discovery_siteJunk Bond Obs.
discovered17 March 2001
mpc_name(63305) Bobkepple
alt_names2001 FE
named_afterGeorge "Bob" Kepple
(deep-sky astronomer)
mp_categorymain-belt(outer)
Hygiea
orbit_ref
epoch23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
uncertainty0
observation_arc21.90 yr (7,998 days)
aphelion3.6936 AU
perihelion2.7077 AU
semimajor3.2006 AU
eccentricity0.1540
period5.73 yr (2,091 days)
mean_anomaly221.60°
mean_motion/ day
inclination5.5602°
asc_node179.85°
arg_peri135.54°
mean_diameterkm
albedo
abs_magnitude14.8

(deep-sky astronomer) Hygiea

63305 Bobkepple (provisional designation ****) is a carbonaceous Hygiean asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 km in diameter. It was discovered on 17 March 2001, by astronomer David Healy at the Junk Bond Observatory in Arizona, United States. The asteroid was named after Bob Kepple, co-author of The Night Sky Observer's Guide.

Orbit and classification

Bobkepple is a member of the Hygiea family (601), a large family of carbonaceous outer-belt asteroids, named after 10 Hygiea, the main belt's fourth-largest asteroid. It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.7 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,091 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.

The body's observation arc begins with a precovery image taken by Spacewatch in March 1995, six years prior to its official discovery observation at Junk Bond Observatory.

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Bobkepple has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, spin axis and shape remains unknown.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Bobkepple measures 6.216 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.055.

Naming

This minor planet was named after deep-sky astronomer George Robert Kepple, creator of the "Astro Cards" observing aids and co-author of The Night Sky Observer's Guide, popular among deep-sky observers. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 May 2004 (M.P.C. 51982).

References

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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