| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Indiana University (Indiana Asteroid Program) |
| Discovery site | Goethe Link Obs. |
| Discovery date | 16 September 1952 |
| Designations | |
| (2023) Asaph | |
Named after | Asaph Hall (American astronomer)[2] |
| 1952 SA | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 64.53 yr (23,571 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.6816AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0703 AU |
| 2.8760 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2801 |
| 4.88yr (1,781 days) | |
| 98.697° | |
| 0° 12m 7.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 22.352° |
| 3.1290° | |
| 357.53° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 19.678±0.264 km[4][5] 20.56±0.43 km[6] 21.29±0.40 km[7] 25.44 km(calculated)[3] |
| 3.87±0.02 h[8][a] 4.74±0.01h[9] 9.19±0.05 h[10] | |
| 0.057(assumed)[3] 0.090±0.004[7] 0.096±0.018[6][5] 0.1045±0.0204[4] | |
| C[3] | |
| 11.6[4][6][7] · 11.7[1][3] | |
2023 Asaph, provisional designation1952 SA, is a darkasteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 21 kilometers in diameter.[6] It was discovered on 16 September 1952, by astronomers of theIndiana Asteroid Program atGoethe Link Observatory in Indiana, United States.[11]
Asaph orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.1–3.7 AU once every 4 years and 11 months (1,781 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.28 and aninclination of 22° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The asteroid'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation Goethe Link.[11]
In November 2001, a rotationallightcurve ofAsaph was obtained from photometric observations by American astronomerBrian Warner. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 4.74 hours with a low brightness variation of 0.06magnitude (U=2-).[9] Upon re-examination of the revised data set, Warner constructed a new, ambiguous lightcurve with two possible period solutions of3.87 and6.28 hours (U=2-).[8][a] These observations supersede a period of 9.19 hours derived from two fragmentary lightcurves obtained in 2001 and 2006, respectively (U=1/1).[10]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Asaph measures between 19.678 and 21.29 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.09 and 0.1045.[4][5][6][7]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo forcarbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and consequently calculates a larger diameter of 25.44 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 11.7.[3]
Thisminor planet was named in memory of American astronomerAsaph Hall (1829–1907), who discovered theMartian satellites,Phobos andDeimos.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 15 October 1977 (M.P.C. 4238).[12]
