| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | WISE |
| Discovery site | Earth orbit |
| Discovery date | 9 June 2010 |
| Designations | |
| (284996) Rosaparks | |
Named after |
Rosa Parks
[1] (civil rights activist) |
| 2010 LD58 | |
|
main-belt
[1]
[2] · (
outer) background [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 ( JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 13.70 yr (5,003 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.5469 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.7347 AU |
| 3.1408 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1293 |
| 5.57 yr (2,033 d) | |
| 177.93 ° | |
| 0° 10m 37.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 12.115° |
| 271.49° | |
| 331.82° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 3.512±0.951 km [4] [5] |
| 0.099±0.052 [4] | |
| 15.5 [1] [2] | |
284996 Rosaparks, provisional designation 2010 LD58, is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 9 June 2010 by scientists working with data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft. [1] It is named after Rosa Parks, the African-American civil rights activist.
Orbit and classification
Rosaparks is a non- family asteroid from the main-belt's background population. [3] It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.7–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,033 days). Its orbit has a semi-major axis of 3.14 AU), an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 12 ° with respect to the ecliptic. [2]
The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking program in February 2004, more than six years prior to its official discovery observation by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). [1]
Naming
This minor planet was named after Rosa Parks (1913–2005), the African-American civil rights activist. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 9 September 2014 ( M.P.C. 89835). [6]
Physical characteristics
Like most asteroids from the outer main-belt, Rosaparks has a low albedo (see below), indicating a carbonaceous composition. The body's spectral type has not been determined. [2] According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's WISE telescope, Rosaparks measures 3.512 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.099. [4] As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown. [2] [7]
In popular media
During the UK's Black History Month in 2018, the asteroid featured in the television series Doctor Who. In the final scene of the episode " Rosa", after witnessing Rosa Parks's arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama passenger bus, the Thirteenth Doctor takes the TARDIS to the asteroid belt and shows her companions the object that has been named in Parks's honour. [8]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "284996 Rosaparks (2010 LD58)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 284996 Rosaparks (2010 LD58)" (2017-10-23 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ a b "Asteroid 284996 Rosaparks – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ 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. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ "Asteroid 284996 Rosaparks". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ "LCDB Data for (284996) Rosaparks". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 23 October 2018.
- ^ Miller, Adam (23 October 2018). "Doctor Who fans in tears after learning truth behind the final scenes of Rosa Parks episode". /metro.co.uk. Metro. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
External links
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (280001)-(285000) – Minor Planet Center
- 284996 Rosaparks at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 284996 Rosaparks at the JPL Small-Body Database
