7784 Watterson
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | T. B. Spahr |
| Discovery site | Catalina Station |
| Discovery date | 5 August 1994 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 7784 Watterson |
Named after |
Bill Watterson (cartoonist)[2] |
| 1994 PL | |
| main-belt · Phocaea [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 62.19 yr (22,716 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.8033 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7317 AU |
| 2.2675 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2362 |
| 3.41 yr (1,247 days) | |
| 107.42° | |
| Inclination | 23.339° |
| 220.69° | |
| 107.00° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.8541 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
5.556±0.070 km[4] 5.53 km (calculated)[3] |
| 2.539±0.001 h[lower-alpha 1] | |
|
0.1894±0.0218[4] 0.23 (assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
|
13.5[1][3] 13.7[4] | |
|
| |
7784 Watterson, provisional designation 1994 PL, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Timothy Spahr at the U.S. Catalina Station, Arizona, on 5 August 1994.[2]
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Phocaea family, a group of asteroids with similar orbital characteristics. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.7–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,247 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.24 and an inclination of 23 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic.[1]
In 2011, a photometric light-curve analysis by astronomer Brian Skiff gave a rotation period of 2.539±0.001 hours with a relatively low brightness amplitude of 0.10 in magnitude, indicative of a nearly spheroidal shape (U=3-).[lower-alpha 1] According to the surveys carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), the asteroid has an albedo of 0.19 and a diameter of 5.6 kilometers.[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with WISE's observations and assumes a slightly higher albedo of 0.23 and calculates a diameter of 5.5 kilometers.[3]
The minor planet is named after Bill Watterson (b. 1958), cartoonist of the daily comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. Syndicated from 1985 to 1995, this strip is fondly remembered and treasured by the discoverer, and helped him stay awake and sane on long observing nights and during the trials and tribulations of graduate school.[2]
References
- 1 2 Skiff (2011) web: rotation period 2.539±0.001 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.10 mag. CALL assigns a Quality Code of 3-, which denotes a slightly less than secure result within the precision given and no ambiguity. Summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) for (7784) Watterson
- 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 7784 Watterson (1994 PL)" (2015-12-18 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- 1 2 3 "7784 Watterson (1994 PL)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (7784) Watterson". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 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. Retrieved 6 February 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 (5001)-(10000) – Minor Planet Center
- 7784 Watterson at the JPL Small-Body Database
