1185 Nikko , provisional designation 1927 WC , is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt , approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 November 1927 by Okuro Oikawa at the Tokyo Astronomical Observatory, Japan.[ 11] The asteroid was named after the Japanese city of Nikkō .[ 2]
Orbit and classification
Nikko orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,222 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic .[ 1] Nikko ' s observation arc begins with its first used observation taken at Johannesburg Observatory in 1930, or 3 years after its official discovery observation at Tokyo.[ 11]
Physical characteristics
In both the Tholen and SMASS taxonomy, Nikko is a common stony S-type asteroid .[ 1]
Rotation period
Between 2004 and 2011, several rotational lightcurves of Nikko were obtained from photometric observations taken by astronomers Laurent Bernasconi ,[ 8] Hiromi and Hiroko Hamanowa,[ 8] John Menke,[ 12] Robert Stephens ,[ 9] as well as at the Palomar Transient Factory in California.[ 6] Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period between 3.781 and 3.792 hours with a brightness variation between 0.26 and 0.50 magnitude (U=3/3/3/3-/2/2 ).[ 3]
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Nikko measures 8.347 and 12.56 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.370 and 0.164, respectively.[ 4] [ 5] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 11.35 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.09.[ 3]
Naming
This minor planet was named for the Japanese city of Nikkō , located in the Tochigi Prefecture of central Japan. The tourist resort is known for its Shinto shrine and a UNESCO World Heritage Site Nikkō Tōshō-gū . The official naming citation was published by Paul Herget in The Names of the Minor Planets in 1955 (H 110 ).[ 2] [ 13]
References
^ a b c d e f g h i "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1185 Nikko (1927 WC)" (2017-07-01 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 26 July 2017 .
^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1185) Nikko". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1185) Nikko . Springer Berlin Heidelberg . p. 99. doi :10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1186 . ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3 .
^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (1185) Nikko" . Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
^ a b c d 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 12 March 2017 .
^ a b c d 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 . (online , AcuA catalog p. 153 )
^ a b c d 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 . Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
^ Hanus, J.; Durech, J.; Broz, M.; Warner, B. D.; Pilcher, F.; Stephens, R.; et al. (June 2011). "A study of asteroid pole-latitude distribution based on an extended set of shape models derived by the lightcurve inversion method" . Astronomy & Astrophysics . 530 : 16. arXiv :1104.4114 . Bibcode :2011A&A...530A.134H . doi :10.1051/0004-6361/201116738 . Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
^ a b c d Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1185) Nikko" . Geneva Observatory . Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
^ a b Stephens, Robert D. (June 2005). "Rotational periods of 743 Eugenisis, 995 Sternberga, 1185 Nikko 2892 Filipenko, 3144 Brosche, and 3220 Murayama" . The Minor Planet Bulletin . 32 (2): 27– 28. Bibcode :2005MPBu...32...27S . ISSN 1052-8091 . Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
^ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results" . Icarus . 261 : 34– 47. arXiv :1506.00762 . Bibcode :2015Icar..261...34V . doi :10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007 . Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
^ a b "1185 Nikko (1927 WC)" . Minor Planet Center . Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
^ Menke, John (December 2005). "Asteroid lightcurve results from Menke Observatory" . The Minor Planet Bulletin . 32 (4): 85– 88. Bibcode :2005MPBu...32...85M . ISSN 1052-8091 . Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive" . Minor Planet Center . Retrieved 12 March 2017 .
External links