6615 Plutarchos

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6615 Plutarchos
Discovery 
Synodic rotation period
2.3247±0.0001 h[6]
0.24 (assumed)[4]
0.412±0.066[7][8]
S [4]
14.0[7] · 14.7[1][4] · 14.71±0.22[9]

6615 Plutarchos, provisional designation 9512 P-L, is a Florian asteroid and suspected binary from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.1 kilometers in diameter. Discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, the asteroid was later named after the Greek philosopher Plutarch.[3] Its minor-planet moon was discovered in 2007.

Discovery

Plutarchos was discovered on 17 October 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple

Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, on photographic plates exposed by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in California, United States.[10]

Palomar–Leiden survey

The

survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.[11]

Orbit and classification

The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] As no precovery were taken, and no prior identifications were made, the body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Palomar in 1960.[10]

Lightcurve and moon

A rotational

U=3).[6] For an asteroid of its size, Plutarchos rotates rapidly, close to the 2.2-hour threshold spin rate for fast rotators
.

Satellite

During the photometric observations in 2007, mutual eclipse/occultation events suggested that Plutarchos is a synchronous binary asteroid with a minor-planet moon, designated S/2007 (6615) 1, orbiting it every 40.02 hours. However, neither a diameter estimate for the suspected satellite, nor any follow-up observations have been published since 2007.[4][6]

Diameter

According to the survey carried out by NASA's

albedo of 0.412,[7][8] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the family's largest member and namesake – and calculates a diameter of 3.11 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 14.7.[4]

Naming

This

M.P.C. 26932).[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 6615 Plutarchos (9512 P-L)" (2016-03-19 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  2. ^ 'Plutarchus' in Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3
    .
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (6615) Plutarchos". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  5. ^ "Plutarchian". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  6. ^
    ISSN 1052-8091
    . Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  7. ^
    doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90
    .
  8. ^
    doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68
    . Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  9. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007
    . Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  10. ^ a b "6615 Plutarchos (9512 P-L)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 12 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  12. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 March 2017.

External links

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