Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | C. J. van Houten I. van Houten G. T. Gehrels |
Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
Discovery date | 24 September 1960 |
Designations | |
(3868) Mendoza | |
Named after | Eugenio Mendoza (Mexican astronomer) [2] |
4575 P-L ·1935 SA1 1952 HV3 ·1953 TD2 1977 KD1 | |
main-belt · Vesta [3] | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 62.81 yr (22,941 days) |
Aphelion | 2.5649 AU |
Perihelion | 2.1032 AU |
2.3341 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.0989 |
3.57 yr (1,302 days) | |
353.29° | |
0° 16m 35.04s / day | |
Inclination | 8.1076° |
171.57° | |
186.20° | |
Known satellites | 1 [4] [5] [6] |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 8.628±0.157 km [7] 6.37±0.27 km [8] 9.351±0.049 km [9] 9.396 km [10] 9.40 km (taken) [3] |
2.77082±0.00005 h [4] 2.77090±0.00005 h [5] 2.77099±0.00002 h [3] 2.77103±0.00003 h [11] | |
0.1621±0.0288 [9] 0.1649 [10] 0.218±0.032 [7] 0.436±0.076 [8] | |
S [3] | |
12.30±0.04(R) [5] ·12.30±0.02(R) [4] 12.5 [1] [8] ·12.6 [1] ·12.70±0.37 [12] ·12.71±0.04 [3] [10] ·12.75 [9] | |
3868 Mendoza, provisional designation 4575 P-L is a stony Vestian asteroid and binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by astronomers Cornelis Johannes van Houten, Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld and Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory. [13]
Mendoza orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.1–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,302 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic. [1]
In 2009, a minor-planet moon was discovered. It is provisionally designated S/2009 (3868) 1. The satellite measures 2.01±0.18 km in diameter and orbits Mendoza in a little more than a day. [4] [5] [6]
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 asteroid discoveries. [14]
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Mendoza measures between 8.628 and 9.351 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.1621 and 0.436. [7] [8] [9] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts Petr Pravec's revised WISE data, that is, an albedo of 0.1649 and a rounded diameter of 9.40 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.71. [3] [10]
This minor planet was named in honor of Mexican astronomer Eugenio Mendoza (born 1928), expert in photometry and spectroscopy, member of the IAU and teacher at several Mexican universities. [2] [15] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 September 1993 ( M.P.C. 22499). [16]
9617 Grahamchapman, provisional designation 1993 FA5, is a binary Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2.8 kilometers in diameter.
2006 Polonskaya (provisional designation: 1973 SB3) is a stony Flora asteroid and asynchronous binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 22 September 1973, by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula, and later named after Ukrainian astronomer Elena Kazimirtchak-Polonskaïa. Its one-kilometer-sized satellite was discovered by an international collaboration of astronomers in November 2005.
3309 Brorfelde, provisional designation 1982 BH, is a nearly spheroidal, binary Hungaria asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 28 January 1982, by Danish astronomers Kaare Jensen and Karl Augustesen at the Brorfelde Observatory near Holbæk, Denmark. It was named for the discovering observatory and the village where it is located.
3673 Levy, provisional designation 1985 QS, is a binary Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 August 1985, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. The asteroid was named after Canadian astronomer David H. Levy.
(9948) 1990 QB2, provisional designation 1990 QB2, is a stony Nysian asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.4 kilometers (2.1 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 22 August 1990, by American astronomer Henry Holt at the Palomar Observatory in California. The likely elongated S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 3.53 hours. This asteroid has not been named.
6084 Bascom, provisional designation 1985 CT, is a binary Phocaea asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6.3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 12 February 1985, by American astronomer couple Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory in California. It is named after American geologist Florence Bascom. Its satellite measures approximately 2.3 kilometers and has an orbital period of 43.51 hours.
4029 Bridges, provisional designation 1982 KC1, is a stony asteroid and binary system from the middle regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.
1338 Duponta, provisional designation 1934 XA, is a stony Florian asteroid and synchronous binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7.8 kilometers in diameter.
3936 Elst, provisional designation 2321 T-3, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered on 16 October 1977, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in California, United States. It was named after Belgian astronomer Eric W. Elst.
1777 Gehrels, also designated 4007 P-L, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, and named for astronomer Tom Gehrels, one of the survey's principal investigators and credited discoverer.
7225 Huntress, provisional designation 1983 BH, is a binary Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 January 1983, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is named after astrochemist Wesley Huntress.
5905 Johnson, provisional designation 1989 CJ1, is a Hungaria asteroid and synchronous binary system from the innermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 11 February 1989, by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at Palomar Observatory in California, United States. Its satellite measures approximately 1.6 km (1 mi) in diameter and orbits its primary every 21.8 hours. It was named after American astronomer and engineer Lindley N. Johnson.
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. Its minor-planet moon was discovered in 2007.
1979 Sakharov, provisionally designated 2006 P-L, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, and named after Russian physicist Andrei Sakharov.
1405 Sibelius, provisional designation 1936 RE, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 12 September 1936, by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland. The asteroid was named after composer Jean Sibelius.
2815 Soma, provisional designation 1982 RL, is a binary Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 September 1982, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States. It is named for the mechanical puzzle Soma cube.
2478 Tokai, provisionally designated 1981 JC, is a stony Florian asteroid and binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 May 1981, by Japanese astronomer Toshimasa Furuta at Tōkai Observatory, Japan. The asteroid was named after the city of Tōkai.
3982 Kastel', provisional designation 1984 JP1, is a Florian asteroid and a suspected binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6.9 kilometers in diameter.
5477 Holmes, provisional designation 1989 UH2, is a Hungaria asteroid and binary system from the innermost regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 27 October 1989, by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at the Palomar Observatory in California. The presumed E-type asteroid is likely spherical in shape and has a short rotation period of 2.99 hours. It was named for American amateur astronomer Robert Holmes. The discovery of its 1-kilometer-sized minor-planet moon was announced in November 2005.
10208 Germanicus, provisional designation 1997 QN1, is a stony Florian asteroid and binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers in diameter.