2058 Róka, provisional designation 1938 BH, is a Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 22 kilometers in diameter.
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | G. Kulin |
| Discovery site | Konkoly Obs. |
| Discovery date | 22 January 1938 |
| Designations | |
| (2058) Róka | |
Named after | Gedeon Róka (1906–1974) (Hungarian science writer)[2] |
| 1938 BH · 1951 NP 1962 NA · 1963 UM 1974 SZ1 · 1978 AE 1985 UL3 | |
| main-belt · Themis [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 79.18 yr (28,920 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5790 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6682 AU |
| 3.1236 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1458 |
| 5.52 yr (2,016 days) | |
| 17.333° | |
| 0° 10m 42.6s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.5352° |
| 95.329° | |
| 180.50° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 21.12 km (derived)[3] 21.36±3.1 km[4] 23.40±0.52 km[5] 24.122±0.246 km[6] 24.273±0.234 km[7] |
| 10.04±0.02 h[8] 10.09±0.01 h[9] | |
| 0.0995 (derived)[3] 0.1196±0.0252[7] 0.121±0.017[6] 0.130±0.006[5] 0.1542±0.056[4] | |
| C [10] · S [3] | |
| 11.0[4][5][7] · 11.5[1][3] · 11.56±0.34[10] | |
It was discovered on 22 January 1938, by Hungarian György Kulin at Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary.[11] The asteroid was named in memory of Hungarian science writer Gedeon Róka.[2]
Classification and orbit
Róka is a member of the Themis family, a dynamical family of carbonaceous outer-belt asteroids with nearly coplanar ecliptical orbits. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 6 months (2,016 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Konkoly in 1938.[11]
Physical characteristics
Róka has been characterized as a carbonaceous C-type asteroid by Pan-STARRS photometric survey.[10] Due to its ambivalent albedo it is also an assumed S-type asteroid.[3]
Lightcurves
In March 2005, a rotational lightcurve of Róka was obtained from photometric observations by French amateur astronomer René Roy. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 10.04 hours with a brightness variation of 0.34 magnitude (U=3-).[8] One month later, astronomer at the Rose-Hulman Observatory obtained another lightcurve with a concurring period of 10.09 hours and an amplitude of 0.40 magnitude (U=2).[9]
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Róka measures between 21.36 and 24.273 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.1196 and 0.1542.[4][5][6][7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0995 and calculates a diameter of 21.12 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.5.[3]
Naming
This minor planet was named in memory of Gedeon Róka (1906–1974), a Hungarian science writer and popularizer of astronomy from Budapest.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 February 1980 (M.P.C. 5183).[12]
References
External links
- Róka Gedeon (1906–1974), (in Hungarian)
- Biography Róka Gedeon, incl. photography (in Hungarian)
- 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 (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 2058 Róka at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 2058 Róka at the JPL Small-Body Database
