4804 Pasteur

4804 Pasteur
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. W. Elst
Discovery siteLa Silla Obs.
Discovery date2 December 1989
Designations
(4804) Pasteur
Named after
Louis Pasteur [2]
(French chemist/biologist)
1989 XC1 · 1962 QB
1971 QJ1
main-belt · (middle) [3]
background [4]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc61.05 yr (22,298 days)
Aphelion3.0075 AU
Perihelion2.3739 AU
2.6907 AU
Eccentricity0.1177
4.41 yr (1,612 days)
130.06°
0° 13m 23.88s / day
Inclination8.6298°
103.55°
271.14°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions15.427±0.310 km[5][6]
15.98 km (calculated)[3]
16.94±0.66 km[7]
21.29±0.11 km[8]
21.38±0.40 km[9]
13.69±0.02 h[10]
0.05±0.00[8]
0.089±0.004[9]
0.098±0.025[7]
0.10 (assumed)[3]
0.129±0.020[5][6]
SMASS = C [1] · C [11]
C (SDSS–MFB)[3]
11.60[9] · 11.9[6] · 12.00[7] · 12.07±0.23[11] · 12.1[1][3] · 12.16[8]

4804 Pasteur, provisional designation 1989 XC1, is a carbonaceous background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 2 December 1989, by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst at the ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. The asteroid was named after French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur.[2]

Orbit and classification

Pasteur is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[4] It orbits the Sun in the intermediate asteroid belt at a distance of 2.4–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,612 days; semi-major axis of 2.69 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in March 1956, more than 33 years prior to its official discovery observation.[2]

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS classification, Pasteur is a C-type asteroid.[1] Pan-STARRS photometric survey and SDSS–MFB (Masi–Foglia–Bus) have also characterized the body as a carbonaceous C-type.[3][11]

Rotation period

In November 2011, a rotational lightcurve of Pasteur was obtained from photometric observations by astronomers at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory in Australia. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 13.69 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.28 magnitude (U=3).[10]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Pasteur measures between 15.427 and 21.38 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.05 and 0.1290.[5][6][7][8][9]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.10 and calculates a diameter of 15.98 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.1.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named after French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur (1822–1895), who discovered the principles of vaccination, fermentation and pasteurization. In 1888 the renowned Pasteur Institute was established in Paris.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19340).[12] The lunar crater Pasteur, as well as the Martian crater Pasteur have also been named after him.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4804 Pasteur (1989 XC1)" (2017-03-29 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "4804 Pasteur (1989 XC1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (4804) Pasteur". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Asteroid 4804 Pasteur – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. S2CID 118745497.
  6. ^ a b c d Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. S2CID 35447010.
  7. ^ 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. S2CID 46350317.
  8. ^ a b c d Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Kramer, E. A.; Grav, T.; et al. (September 2016). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year Two: Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (3): 12. arXiv:1606.08923. Bibcode:2016AJ....152...63N. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/3/63.
  9. ^ 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)
  10. ^ a b Melton, Elizabeth; Carver, Spencer; Harris, Andrew; Karnemaat, Ryan; Klaasse, Matthew; Ditteon, Richard (July 2012). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory: 2011 November-December". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 39 (3): 131–133. Bibcode:2012MPBu...39..131M. ISSN 1052-8091.
  11. ^ a b c 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. S2CID 53493339.
  12. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Lunar crater Pasteur". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
  14. ^ "Martian crater Pasteur". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.