(385250) 2001 DH47 explained

Minorplanet:yes
Background:
  1. FA8072
Discoverer:Spacewatch
Discovered:20 February 2001
Mpc Name:(385250)
Epoch:13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Observation Arc:5521 days (15.12 yr)
Uncertainty:0
Aphelion:1.5767436abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Perihelion:1.4708966AU
Semimajor:1.5238201AU
Eccentricity:0.0347308
Period:1.88 yr (687.07 d)
Inclination:24.40220°
Asc Node:147.42225°
Mean Anomaly:322.37107°
Mean Motion: / day
Arg Peri:17.54935°
Mean Diameter:0.562 km
Rotation:3.97 h
Albedo:0.5–0.05 (assumed)
Abs Magnitude:18.9

, provisional designation, is a sub-kilometer asteroid and Mars trojan orbiting 60° behind the orbit of Mars near the .[1] [2]

Discovery, orbit and physical properties

was discovered on 1 February 2001 by the Spacewatch program, observing from Steward Observatory, Kitt Peak and classified as Mars-crosser by the Minor Planet Center. Its orbit is characterized by low eccentricity (0.035), moderate inclination (24.4º) and a semi-major axis of 1.52 AU.[3] Its orbit is well determined as it is currently (March 2013) based on 45 observations with a data-arc span of 3,148 days.[4] It has an absolute magnitude of 19.7 which gives a characteristic diameter of 562 m.[4]

Mars trojan and orbital evolution

It was identified as Mars trojan by H. Scholl, F. Marzari and P. Tricarico in 2005 and its dynamical half-lifetime was found to be of the order of the age of the Solar System.[1] Recent calculations[2] confirm that it is indeed a stable Mars trojan with a libration period of 1365 yr and an amplitude of 11°. These values as well as its short-term orbital evolution are very similar to those of 5261 Eureka.

Origin

Long-term numerical integrations show that its orbit is very stable on Gyr time-scales (1 Gyr = 1 billion years).[1] [2] As in the case of Eureka, calculations in both directions of time (4.5 Gyr into the past and 4.5 Gyr into the future) indicate that may be a primordial object, perhaps a survivor of the planetesimal population that formed in the terrestrial planets region early in the history of the Solar System.[2]

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005Icar..175..397S Dynamics of Mars Trojans
  2. Three new stable L5 Mars Trojans . C.. de la Fuente Marcos. de la Fuente Marcos. R.. April 2013. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. 432. 1. L31–L35. 10.1093/mnrasl/slt028. free . 1303.0124 . 2013MNRAS.432L..31D .
  3. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2001+DH47&commit=Show MPC data on 2001 DH47
  4. Web site: 385250 (2001 DH47) . . . 12 April 2016.