| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. W. Elst |
| Discovery site | CERGA(Caussols Obs.) |
| Discovery date | 18 August 1993 |
| Designations | |
| (11948) Justinehénin | |
Named after | Justine Henin (Belgian tennis player)[2] |
| 1993 QQ4 · 1973 AE3 1991 EJ8 · 1997 GW24 | |
| main-belt · (inner) Themis | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 44.01 yr (16,076 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5804AU |
| Perihelion | 2.8195 AU |
| 3.2000 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1189 |
| 5.72yr (2,091 days) | |
| 168.53° | |
| 0° 10m 19.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.8914° |
| 159.16° | |
| 75.735° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 12 km(calculated at0.06)[3] |
| 13.2[1] | |
11948 Justinehénin, provisional designation1993 QQ4, is a Themistianasteroid from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 18 August 1993, by Belgian astronomerEric Elst atCERGA (010) in Caussols, southeastern France.[4] It was named for tennis playerJustine Henin.[2]
Justinehénin orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.8–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,091 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.12 and aninclination of 2° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The first identification was made atCrimea–Nauchnij in 1973, extending the asteroid'sobservation arc by 31 years prior to its discovery.[4]
Based on anabsolute magnitude of 13.2,[1]Justinehénin potentially measures between 6 and 14 kilometers in diameter, assuming analbedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.[3] Since asteroids in the outer main-belt are mostly of acarbonaceous rather than of asilicaceous composition, with low albedos, typically around 0.06,Justinehénin's diameter might be on the upper end of NASA's published conversion table, as the lower the body's reflectivity (albedo), the larger its diameter at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).[3]
As of 2017, the asteroid's effective size, its composition and albedo, as well as itsrotation period and shape remain unknown.[1][5]
Thisminor planet was named for Belgian former professional tennis playerJustine Henin (born 1985). Although her name (usually)[6] contains noacute accent, the asteroid's official name does.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 10 September 2003 (M.P.C. 49674).[7]
