1644 Rafita, provisional designation 1935 YA, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 15 kilometers in diameter. It is the namesake of the Rafita family, a family of stony asteroids in the intermediate main-belt. However, Rafita is a suspected interloper in its own family.[4]: 23 It was discovered on 16 December 1935, by Spanish astronomer Rafael Carrasco Garrorena at the Royal Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid in Spain, and named in memory of the discoverer's son.[2][12]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | R. Carrasco |
| Discovery site | Madrid Obs. |
| Discovery date | 16 December 1935 |
| Designations | |
| (1644) Rafita | |
Named after | Rafael Carrasco (discoverer's son)[2] |
| 1935 YA · 1939 XA 1941 JB · 1949 JC 1951 VF · 1955 TS 1957 GD · 1959 UD A906 RB · A916 BA | |
| main-belt · (middle)[3] Rafita-interloper[4]: 23 | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 110.53 yr (40,371 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9426 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1539 AU |
| 2.5483 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1548 |
| 4.07 yr (1,486 days) | |
| 13.784° | |
| 0° 14m 32.28s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.0193° |
| 270.90° | |
| 197.05° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 13.958±0.157 km[5] 15.405±0.072 km[6] 15.48 km (taken)[3] 15.482 km[7] 17.69±1.08 km[8] |
| 5.100±0.002 h[9] 6.800±0.004 h[10] | |
| 0.106±0.014[8] 0.1329[7] 0.1403±0.0148[6] 0.164±0.028[5] | |
| Tholen = S[1][3] B–V = 0.867[1] U–B = 0.404[1] | |
| 11.82[1][6][8] · 11.82±0.21[11] · 11.86±0.02[3][7][9] | |
Orbit and classification
editRafita asteroid orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,486 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Rafita was first observed as A906 RB at Heidelberg Observatory in 1906, extending the body's observation arc by 29 years prior to its official discovery observation.[12]
Lightcurves
editRafita's first rotational lightcurve was obtained by American astronomer Alan Harris of JPL in January 1981. It gave a rotation period of 5.100 hours with a brightness variation of 0.31 magnitude (U=2).[9] Photometric observations by French amateur astronomer Laurent Bernasconi in December 2004, gave a period of 6.800 hours and an amplitude of 0.13 magnitude (U=2).[10]
Diameter and albedo
editAccording to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Rafita measures between 13.96 and 17.69 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.106 and 0.164.[5][6][8] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with Petr Pravec's revised WISE-results, that is an albedo of 0.1329 and a diameter of 15.482 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 11.86.[3][7]
Naming
editThis minor planet was named by the discoverer in honor of his late son, Rafael Carrasco.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 30 January 1964 (M.P.C. 2277).[13]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1644 Rafita (1935 YA)" (2017-03-24 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1644) Rafita". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 130. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1645. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
- ^ a b c d e "LCDB Data for (1644) Rafita". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ a b Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131.
- ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90.
- ^ a b c d Pravec, Petr; Harris, Alan W.; Kusnirák, Peter; Galád, Adrián; Hornoch, Kamil (September 2012). "Absolute magnitudes of asteroids and a revision of asteroid albedo estimates from WISE thermal observations". Icarus. 221 (1): 365–387. Bibcode:2012Icar..221..365P. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.026. Retrieved 27 December 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. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
- ^ a b c Harris, A. W.; Young, J. W. (October 1989). "Asteroid lightcurve observations from 1979-1981". Icarus. 81 (2): 314–364. Bibcode:1989Icar...81..314H. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(89)90056-0. ISSN 0019-1035. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ a b Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1644) Rafita". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 27 December 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 27 December 2016.
- ^ a b "1644 Rafita (1935 YA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2009). "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 221. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7.
External links
edit- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
- 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
- 1644 Rafita at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 1644 Rafita at the JPL Small-Body Database
