39890 Bobstephens

Main-belt asteroid

39890 Bobstephens (provisional designation 1998 FA3) is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered on 23 March 1998, by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory near Prague in the Czech Republic.[5] It was named for American astronomer Robert Stephens.[2]

Orbit and classification

Bobstephens orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.0–3.2 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,523 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first imaged at Steward Observatory in 1995. This precovery extends the body's observation arc by 3 years prior to its official discovery observation.[5]

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

In August 2008, a rotational lightcurve of Bobstephens was obtained from photometric observations by American amateur astronomer Daniel Coley at the Center for Solar System Studies in California. Light-curve analysis gave a rotation period of 9.55 hours with a brightness variation of 0.20 magnitude (U=2).[4]

Diameter and albedo

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 2.06 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 15.8.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named for Californian amateur astronomer and photometrist Robert D. Stephens (born 1955), who is an expert in lightcurve photometry of minor planets since 1999.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 24 July 2002 (M.P.C. 46112).[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 39890 Bobstephens (1998 FA3)" (2017-01-23 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(39890) Bobstephens". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (39890) Bobstephens. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 894. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_10020. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e "LCDB Data for (39890) Bobstephens". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b Coley, Daniel (January 2012). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Danhenge Observatory Apr - Aug 2011". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 39 (1): 23–24. Bibcode:2012MPBu...39...23C. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b "39890 Bobstephens (1998 FA3)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  6. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  • Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
  • Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
  • Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (35001)-(40000) – Minor Planet Center
  • 39890 Bobstephens at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
    • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
  • 39890 Bobstephens at the JPL Small-Body Database Edit this at Wikidata
    • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters
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Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • JPL SBDB
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