Misplaced Pages

5692 Shirao, provisional designation 1992 FR, is a stony Eunomia asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 23 March 1992, by Japanese amateur astronomers Kin Endate and Kazuro Watanabe at Kitami Observatory, Hokkaidō, Japan. The asteroid was later named for Japanese geologist and astrophotographer Motomaro Shirao.

Orbit and classification

Shirao is a member of the Eunomia family, a large group of stony asteroids and the most prominent family in the intermediate main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,580 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic.

In 1949, it was first identified as 1949 KK at Goethe Link Observatory. The body's observation arc begins in 1955, with a precovery at Palomar Observatory, 37 years prior to its official discovery observation at Kitami.

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

In June 2014, a rotational lightcurve of Shirao was obtained from photometric observations made by American astronomer Brian Warner at his Palmer Divide Observatory (716) in Colorado. It gave a well-defined rotation period of 2.8878 hours with a brightness variation of 0.16 magnitude (U=3).

Previous lightcurves were obtained by French astronomer René Roy (2.90 hours, Δ 0.13 mag, U=2) in June 2001, by American astronomer Donald P. Pray (2.886 hours, Δ 0.12 mag, U=2) in March 2005, and by astronomers Dominique Suys, Hugo Riemis and Jan Vantomme (2.90 hours, Δ 0.15 mag, U=2+) in September 2006.

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Shirao measures between 9.5 and 9.8 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.22, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo of 0.21 – derived from 15 Eunomia, the largest member and namesake of this asteroid family – and calculates a diameter of 9.2 kilometers.

Naming

This minor planet was named after Motomaro Shirao (born 1953), a Japanese geologist and astrophotographer, who is known for his photographs of volcanoes and lunar geological features. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 April 1996 (M.P.C. 26930).

Notes

1. ^ Warner (2014l) web: rotation period 2.8878±0.0004 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.16 mag. Summary figures for (5692) Shirao at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) and (2014MPBu...41..235P)

References

1. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5692 Shirao (1992 FR)" (2017-03-29 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
2. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(5692) Shirao". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (5692) Shirao. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 482. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_5385. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
3. ^ "LCDB Data for (5692) Shirao". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 11 July 2016.
4. ^ Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
5. ^ 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 11 July 2016.
6. ^ 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.
7. ^ Pray, Donald P. (September 2005). "Lightcurve analysis of asteroids 106, 752, 847, 1057, 1630, 1670, 1927 1936, 2426, 2612, 2647, 4087, 5635, 5692, and 6235". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 32 (3): 48–51. Bibcode:2005MPBu...32...48P. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
8. ^ Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (5692) Shirao". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
9. ^ 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 11 July 2016.
10. ^ "5692 Shirao (1992 FR)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
11. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 July 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 (5001)-(10000) – Minor Planet Center
• 5692 Shirao at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 5692 Shirao at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters

• Minor planet object articles (numbered)
• Eunomia asteroids
• Discoveries by Kin Endate
• Discoveries by Kazuro Watanabe
• Named minor planets
• Astronomical objects discovered in 1992