| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Indiana University (Indiana Asteroid Program) |
| Discovery site | Goethe Link Obs. |
| Discovery date | 9 September 1959 |
| Designations | |
| (2065) Spicer | |
Named after | Edward H. Spicer (Americananthropologist)[2] |
| 1959 RN · 1952 BS1 1955 XC · 1968 QX 1973 YR2 | |
| main-belt · (middle)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 60.34 yr (22,038 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.3313AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0659 AU |
| 2.6986 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2345 |
| 4.43yr (1,619 days) | |
| 350.70° | |
| 0° 13m 20.28s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.4348° |
| 328.09° | |
| 66.381° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 16.721±0.088 km[4][5] 18.43 km(calculated)[3] |
| 18.165±0.005h[6][a] | |
| 0.057(assumed)[3] 0.062±0.007[4][5] | |
| SMASS = Xc[1] · P[4] · X[3] | |
| 12.03±0.23[7] · 12.2[4] · 12.4[1][3] | |
2065 Spicer, provisional designation1959 RN, is a dark and eccentricasteroid from the middle region of theasteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 9 September 1959, by theIndiana Asteroid Program atGoethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States, and named after American anthropologistEdward H. Spicer.[2][8]
Spicer orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.1–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,619 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.23 and aninclination of 6° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
Spicer's spectra is that of anX-type and Xc-type inSMASS classification scheme, which indicates a transitional stage to the carbonaceousC-type asteroid.[1] It has also been characterized as aP-type asteroid by theNEOWISE mission.[4]
In January 2005,photometric measurements ofSpicer made by American astronomerBrian Warner at the Palmer Divide Observatory (716) gave alightcurve with a well-definedrotation period of18.165±0.005 hours and a brightness variation of1.0±0.03magnitude (U=3).[6][a]
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission,Spicer measures 16.721 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.062,[4][5] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 18.43 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 12.4.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after American anthropologistEdward H. Spicer (1906–1983), professor at the University of Arizona, and a former president of theAmerican Anthropological Association.[2]
In 1955, Spicer's negotiations with the local district and tribal councils were instrumental for receiving permission to evaluate the location where theKitt Peak National Observatory was later built.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 26 May 1983 (M.P.C. 7944).[9]
