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9617 Grahamchapman

Asteroid

Field	Value
minorplanet	yes
name	9617 Grahamchapman
background	#D6D6D6
discovery_ref
discovered	17 March 1993
discoverer	UESAC
discovery_site	La Silla Obs.
mpc_name	(9617) Grahamchapman
alt_names
named_after	Graham Chapman
(Monty Python)
mp_category	main-beltFlora
orbit_ref
epoch	4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
uncertainty	0
observation_arc	64.84 yr (23,681 days)
aphelion	2.4770 AU
perihelion	1.9711 AU
semimajor	2.2240 AU
eccentricity	0.1137
period	3.32 yr (1,211 days)
mean_anomaly	216.44°
mean_motion	/ day
inclination	6.1378°
asc_node	165.58°
arg_peri	281.27°
satellites	1
dimensions	2.840 km
km
2.85 km (taken)
rotation	h
h
h
albedo

spectral_type	S
abs_magnitude	(R) (R)14.714.88

(Monty Python) km 2.85 km (taken) h h

9617 Grahamchapman, provisional designation , is a binary Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2.8 kilometers in diameter.

The asteroid was discovered on 17 March 1993, during the Uppsala–ESO Survey of Asteroids and Comets (UESAC) at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. It was named for actor and Monty Python member, Graham Chapman.

Orbit and classification

Grahamchapman is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest collisional groups of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,211 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. A first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1951, extending the body's observation arc by 42 years prior to its official discovery observation at La Silla.

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Grahamchapman measures 2.84 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.245. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with Petr Pravec's revised NEOWISE data and gives an albedo of 0.224 with a diameter of 2.85 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.97.

Asteroid moon

In February 2006, observations by the Ondřejov NEO Photometric Program determined that Grahamchapman is orbited by a minor-planet moon. The satellite is about a quarter the size of Grahamchapman, and orbits it about once every 19 hours, 23 minutes, and 5 seconds.

Rotation period and shape

The lightcurve study also showed that Grahamchapman itself has a rotation period of 2.28561 hours with a brightness variation of 0.10 magnitude (). A second photometric observation in December 2008, gave an identical period with an amplitude of 0.11 magnitude (). A low brightness amplitude typically indicates that the body has a nearly spheroidal shape.

Naming

This minor planet is named after the comic actor Graham Chapman (1941–1989). It is the first in a series of six asteroids carrying the names of members of the Monty Python comedy troupe, the others being 9618 Johncleese, 9619 Terrygilliam, 9620 Ericidle, 9621 Michaelpalin and 9622 Terryjones. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 March 2000 (M.P.C. 39653).

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.

flora-asteroids discoveries-by-uesac named-minor-planets binary-asteroids monty-python astronomical-objects-discovered-in-1993

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