31249 Renéefleming (provisional designation 1998 DF14) is a dark Zhongguo asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers (4 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 27 February 1998, by astronomers with the ODAS survey conducted at the CERGA Observatory near Caussols, France.[1] The presumed C-type asteroid has a short rotation period of 3.34 hours.[3] It was named for American soprano Renée Fleming.[1]
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | ODAS |
| Discovery site | CERGA Obs. |
| Discovery date | 27 February 1998 |
| Designations | |
| (31249) 1998 DF14 | |
Named after | Renée Fleming (American soprano) |
| 1998 DF14 · 1992 FU3 1993 OC11 | |
| main-belt [1] · (outer) [2][3] Zhongguo [4] · 2:1 res [5] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 23.14 yr (8,453 d) |
| Aphelion | 4.1082 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3852 AU |
| 3.2467 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2654 |
| 5.85 yr (2,137 d) | |
| 165.56° | |
| 0° 10m 6.6s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.5766° |
| 96.933° | |
| 86.472° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 6.08 km (calculated)[3] 6.973±0.083 km[6][7] | |
| 3.34±0.04 h[8] | |
| 0.053±0.011[6][7] 0.057 (assumed)[3] | |
| C (assumed)[3] | |
| 14.36±0.08 (R)[8] 14.4[1][2] 14.6[7] 14.81[3] 14.84[9] | |
Orbit and classification
Renéefleming is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population,[5][10] and a member of the small group of Zhongguo asteroids,[4] located in the Hecuba gap and locked in a 2:1 mean-motion resonance with the gas giant Jupiter. Contrary to the nearby Griqua group, the orbits of the Zhongguos are stable over half a billion years.[4]
It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.4–4.1 AU once every 5 years and 10 months (2,137 days; semi-major axis of 3.25 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.27 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with its first observations at Mount Wilson Observatory in April 1934, almost 64 years prior to its official discovery observation at Caussols.[1]
Physical characteristics
Renéefleming is an assumed C-type asteroid,[3] which agrees with the body's albedo (see below).
Rotation period
In December 2014, a rotational lightcurve of Renéefleming was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a short rotation period of 3.34 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.12 magnitude (U=2-).[8]
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Renéefleming measures 6.973 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.053,[6][7] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a carbonaceous asteroid of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 6.08 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.81.[3]
Numbering and naming
This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) on 30 November 2001, after its orbit had sufficiently been secured (M.P.C. 44038).[11] It was named after American soprano Renée Fleming (born 1959) known for her roles in classical operas by Richard Strauss, Mozart, Handel, Verdi and Dvorak, as well as more modern pieces.[1] The official naming citation was published by the MPC on 29 May 2018 (M.P.C. 110615).[11]
References
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (30001)-(35000) – Minor Planet Center
- 31249 Renéefleming at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 31249 Renéefleming at the JPL Small-Body Database