3850 Peltier, provisional designation 1986 TK2, is a Florian asteroid and suspected interloper from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 October 1986, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station, near Flagstaff, Arizona.[6] The asteroid was named after American amateur astronomer Leslie Peltier.[2]
Orbit and classification
In the SMASS taxonomy, Peltier is a V-type asteroid but possesses the orbital characteristics of a member of the Flora family, which is one of the largest groups of stony S-type asteroids in the main-belt. It is therefore thought to be an unrelated interloper that does not origin from the Flora family's parent body. Peltier orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,220 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] In 1949, it was first identified as 1949 PC at Johannesburg. The body's observation arc begins at Crimea-Nauchnij in 1979, when it was identified as 1979 OX13, 10 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.[6]
Physical characteristics
Rotation period
A rotational lightcurve of Peltier was obtained by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory in October 2006.[b] Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 2.4287 hours with a brightness variation of 0.09 magnitude (U=2).[a] In December 2013, photometric observations by Australian amateur astronomer Julian Oey gave a concurring period of 2.4289 hours and an amplitude of 0.10 magnitude (U=3).[4]
Diameter and albedo
Peltier has not been observed by any space-based surveys such as the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, or NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for V-type asteroids of 0.40 and calculates a diameter of 4.00 kilometers using an absolute magnitude of 13.6.[3]
Naming
This minor planet was named in memory of American amateur astronomer Leslie Peltier (1900–1980), who has discovered 12 comets and several novae including Nova Herculis 1963.[2] Naming citation was provided by David H. Levy and published by the MPC on 20 May 1989 (M.P.C. 14633).[7]
