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22577 Alfiuccio (provisional designation 1998 HT₅₁) is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2.4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 30 April 1998, by the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search at Anderson Mesa Station in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It was named in memory of Alfio Grasso, an Italian boy from Sicily.

Orbit and classification

Alfiuccio is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest families of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,266 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.

The asteroid's observation arc begins 20 months prior to its official discovery observation, with a precovery taken at the Chinese Xinglong Station in December 1996.

Physical characteristics

Lightcurve

In December 2010, a rotational lightcurve of Alfiuccio was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band at the Palomar Transient Factory, California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 4.3704 hours with a brightness variation of 0.36 magnitude (U=2).

Diameter and albedo estimate

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of its orbital family – and calculates a diameter of 2.4 kilometers, based on a weaker absolute magnitude of 15.27.

Naming

This minor planet was named in memory of Alfio "Alfiuccio" Grasso (1992–2004) who died in a hunting accident on the slopes of Mount Etna, Italy. The body's name was proposed by C. Blanco and M. Di Martino. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 August 2009 (M.P.C. 66725).

References

1. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 22577 Alfiuccio (1998 HT51)" (2017-01-28 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
2. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (22577) Alfiuccio. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 1045. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
3. ^ "LCDB Data for (22577) Alfiuccio". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 11 May 2016.
4. ^ 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. S2CID 8342929. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
5. ^ "22577 Alfiuccio (1998 HT51)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
6. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 May 2016.

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (20001)-(25000) – Minor Planet Center
• 22577 Alfiuccio at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 22577 Alfiuccio at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters

• Minor planet object articles (numbered)
• Flora asteroids
• Discoveries by LONEOS
• Named minor planets
• Astronomical objects discovered in 1998