12052 Aretaon
Minorplanetyes
Background
  1. C2FFFF
DiscovererE. W. Elst
Discovery siteLa Silla Obs.
Discovered3 May 1997
Mpc name(12052) Aretaon
Alt names·
Pronounced/ærᵻˈteɪɒn/
Named afterἈρετάων Aretāōn[1]
(Greek mythology)
Mp categoryJupiter trojan[1][2]
Trojan[3] · background[4]
Epoch23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty0
Observation arc40.60 yr (14,828 d)
Aphelion5.5958 AU
Perihelion4.8837 AU
Semimajor5.2397 AU
Eccentricity0.0680
Period11.99 yr (4,381 d)
Mean anomaly197.23°
Mean motion/ day
Inclination11.463°
Asc node219.79°
Arg peri85.727°
Jupiter moid0.256 AU
Tisserand2.9550
Mean diameter39.151 ± 0.809 km[5]
42.23 km (calculated)[6]
Rotation8.05 h[7]
Albedo0.057 (assumed)[6]
0.073 ± 0.013[5]
Abs magnitude10.425 ± 0.002 (R)[8]
10.50[5]
10.6[1][2][6]

12052 Aretaon /ærᵻˈteɪɒn/ is a mid-sized Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 3 May 1997, by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile.[1] The dark Jovian asteroid has a rotation period of 8.05 hours.[6] It was named after Aretaon from Greek mythology.[1]

Orbit and classification

Aretaon is a Jupiter trojan in a 1:1 orbital resonance with Jupiter. It is located in the trailering Trojan camp at the Gas Giant's Lagrangian point, 60° behind its orbit ((see Trojans in astronomy)).[3] It orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.9–5.6 AU once every 11 years and 12 months (4,381 days; semi-major axis of 5.24 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with its first observation as ' at the Palomar Observatory in October 1977, almost 20 years prior to its official discovery observation at La Silla.[1]

Naming

This minor planet was named from Greek mythology after the Trojan warrior Aretaon. He was killed by Teucer during the Trojan War.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 January 2003 (M.P.C. 47300).[9]

Physical characteristics

Aretaon is an assumed, carbonaceous C-type asteroid.[6] The majority of Jupiter trojans are D-types, with the remainder being mostly C- and P-type asteroids.[6]

Rotation period

In September 2012, a rotational lightcurve of Aretaon was obtained from photometric observations by Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies in Landers, California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 8.05 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.17 magnitude (U=2).[7] This period determination was confirmed by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in September 2013, measuring a period of 8.048 hours and an amplitude of 0.19 magnitude in the R-band (U=2).[8]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Aretaon measures 39.151 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.073,[5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a carbonaceous asteroid of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 42.23 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.6.[6]

References

  1. ^ "12052 Aretaon (1997 JB16)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 12052 Aretaon (1997 JB16)" (2018-05-24 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  3. ^ Carruba, V. (1 June 2018). "List of Jupiter Trojans". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Asteroid (12052) Aretaon – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  5. ^ Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Bauer, J. M.; Masiero, J. R.; Nugent, C. R. (November 2012). "WISE/NEOWISE Observations of the Jovian Trojan Population: Taxonomy". The Astrophysical Journal. 759 (1): 10. arXiv:1209.1549. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759...49G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/759/1/49. S2CID 119101711 (online catalog)
  6. ^ No. 12052. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  7. ^ French, Linda M.; Stephens, Robert D.; Coley, Daniel R.; Wasserman, Lawrence H.; Vilas, Faith; La Rocca, Daniel (October 2013). "A Troop of Trojans: Photometry of 24 Jovian Trojan Asteroids". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 40 (4): 198–203. Bibcode:2013MPBu...40..198F. ISSN 1052-8091
  8. ^ Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. S2CID 8342929
  9. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 June 2018.