2709 Sagan
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Light-curve-based 3D-model of 2709 Sagan
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| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. Bowell |
| Discovery site | Anderson Mesa Station |
| Discovery date | 21 March 1982 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2709 Sagan |
|
Named after
|
Carl Sagan (astronomer, science communicator)[2] |
| 1982 FH · 1951 WF1 1959 CC · 1959 EA1 1964 WT · 1982 FE2 |
|
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 56.45 yr (20,618 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.3474 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0434 AU |
| 2.1954 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0692 |
| 3.25 yr (1,188 days) | |
| 77.034° | |
| Inclination | 2.7313° |
| 241.14° | |
| 308.16° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.56±0.20 km[4] 6.81 km (calculated)[3] |
| 5.2564 h[lower-alpha 1] 5.258±0.002 h[5] 5.254±0.001 h[6] |
|
| 0.259±0.043[4] 0.24 (assumed)[3] |
|
| SMASS = S S [3] |
|
| 13.0[1] | |
2709 Sagan, provisional designation 1982 FH, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, on 21 March 1982.[7]
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.3 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,188 days). Its orbit is tilted by 3 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an orbital eccentricity of 0.07. It has an albedo of 0.26, according to observations made by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and subsequent NEOWISE mission.[4] The body rotates every 5.26 hours once around its axis.[lower-alpha 1][5][6]
The minor planet was named in honor of Carl Sagan (1934–1996), planetary scientist at Cornell University, science popularizer, editor of the journal Icarus, and founder of The Planetary Society. Sagan participated on a number of planetary space missions, including the Voyager mission to the outer planets and the Mariner 9 and Viking missions to Mars. His research encompassed studies of the greenhouse effect on Venus, the atmosphere and surface of titan, windblown dust on Mars, and the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligent life. Sagan won the Pulitzer prize for literature in 1978.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pravec (2011) web: rotation period 5.2564±0.0007 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.09 mag. Summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) for (2709) Sagan
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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
- 2709 Sagan at the JPL Small-Body Database
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