6255 Kuma
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. Nakamura |
| Discovery site | Kuma Kogen Obs. |
| Discovery date | 5 December 1994 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 6255 Kuma |
Named after |
Kuma, Ehime (Japanese town)[2] |
|
1994 XT · 1975 VJ8 1981 DV3 · 1986 EB2 1988 SU4 · 1989 WP3 1992 OL1 | |
| main-belt · (outer) [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 40.16 yr (14,667 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.8311 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6527 AU |
| 2.7419 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0325 |
| 4.54 yr (1,658 days) | |
| 310.8591° | |
| 0° 13m 1.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.1200° |
| 275.3841° | |
| 192.793° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
22.72±1.7 km (IRAS:3)[4] 17.86±0.52 km[5] 16.955±0.135 km[6] 21.50±9.05 km[7] 22.67 km (derived)[3] |
| 9.70±0.01 h[8] | |
|
0.0342±0.006 (IRAS:3)[4] 0.058±0.004[5] 0.0601±0.0012[6] 0.029±0.029[7] 0.0238 (derived)[3] | |
| C [3] | |
|
12.9[1][3] 12.5[4][5][6] 12.80[7] | |
|
| |
6255 Kuma, provisional designation 1994 XT, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, about 22 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 December 1994, by Japanese astronomer Akimasa Nakamura at Kuma Kogen Astronomical Observatory on the Island of Shikoku, Japan.[9]
The dark C-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–2.8 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,658 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.03 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at Crimea–Nauchnij in 1975, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 19 years prior to its discovery.[9]
A rotational light-curve was obtained from photometric observations made by American astronomer Brian Warner at the Palmer Divide Observatory, Colorado, in September 2006. The light-curve showed a rotation period of 9.70±0.01 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.15 in magnitude (U=2).[8]
According to the space-based surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures between 17.9 and 22.7 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has a low albedo in the range of 0.03 to 0.06.[4][5][6][7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an even lower albedo of 0.02 and a diameter of 22.7 kilometers.[3]
The minor planet was named after the Japanese rural town Kuma (now Kumakōgen, Ehime), home of the discovering observatory that was built in 1992 for astronomical education and tourism. Kuma is located on the Japanese island of Shikoku, after which the minor planet 4223 Shikoku is named. The town supports local cultural activities and is a significant destination for pilgrims.[2] Naming citation was published on 14 May 1995 (M.P.C. 25231).[10]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 6255 Kuma (1994 XT)" (2016-01-03 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (6255) Kuma. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 521. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (6255) Kuma". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 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. Retrieved 3 May 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 3 May 2016. - 1 2 3 4 Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- 1 2 Warner, Brian D. (March 2007). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory - June-September 2006". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 34 (1): 8–10. Bibcode:2007MPBu...34....8W. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- 1 2 "6255 Kuma (1994 XT)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
External links
- The Palmer Divide Observatory: Tour given by Brian Warner on YouTube (time 4:03 min.)
- 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
- 6255 Kuma at the JPL Small-Body Database
