8026 Johnmckay
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 8 May 1991 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 8026 Johnmckay |
|
Named after
|
John B. McKay (test pilot)[2] |
| 1991 JA1 · 1989 UF2 | |
| main-belt (inner) · Hungaria [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 25.81 yr (9,427 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.0698 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7802 AU |
| 1.9250 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0752 |
| 2.67 yr (976 days) | |
| 246.14° | |
| Inclination | 19.934° |
| 217.71° | |
| 145.76° | |
| Known satellites | 1 [4] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 1.690±0.239 km[5] 2.54 km (calculated)[3] |
| 2.2981±0.0005 h[6] 355±5 h[7] |
|
| 0.8148±0.1957[5] 0.30 (assumed)[3] |
|
| E [3] | |
| 14.9[1] | |
8026 Johnmckay, provisional designation 1991 JA1, is a bright, binary[4] asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American female astronomer Eleanor Helin at the U.S. Palomar Observatory, California, on 8 May 1991.[2]
The bright E-type asteroid is a member of the Hungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.8–2.1 AU once every 2 years and 8 months (976 days). Its orbit is tilted by 20 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an eccentricity of 0.08. In 2010, a photometric light-curve analysis at the U.S. Palmer Divide Station in Colorado has rendered rotation period of 2.2981±0.0005 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.10 in magnitude.[6]
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of the U.S. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the body's surface has an exceptionally high albedo of 0.81, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes a more realistic value of 0.30, which is typical for bright E-type asteroids.[3][5]
The asteroid was discovered in 2010 to have a small asteroid moon around it, orbiting it every 2.300±0.001 hours.[4]
The minor planet was named in memory of NASA research pilot John B. McKay (1922–1975), who was the fifth pilot to fly the North American X-15 and made a total of 29 flights. Before joining the X-15 program, he made 46 flights in the X-1 and D-558-II Skyrocket. In 2005, he received posthumous NASA astronaut wings for a flight that reached an altitude of 89,900 metres (294,900 feet).[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- 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
- 8026 Johnmckay at the JPL Small-Body Database
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