| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | L. Oterma |
| Discovery site | Turku Obs. |
| Discovery date | 16 October 1941 |
| Designations | |
| (2159) Kukkamaki | |
Named after | Tauno Kukkamäki(geodesist)[2] |
| 1941 UX · 1929 TL 1933 UU1 · 1935 EL 1939 FS · 1949 WM 1951 GG1 · 1970 EB 1974 CD1 · 1978 EB | |
| main-belt · (inner)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 87.58 yr (31,989 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5808AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3847 AU |
| 2.4827 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0395 |
| 3.91yr (1,429 days) | |
| 75.776° | |
| 0° 15m 6.84s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.2676° |
| 351.15° | |
| 122.78° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 9.86±1.04 km[4] 11.30 km(derived)[3] 11.494±0.121[5] 12.143±0.176 km[6] |
| 3.4h[7](outdated) 4.06 h[8] | |
| 0.1743±0.0290[6] 0.193±0.025[5] 0.20(assumed)[3] 0.337±0.253[4] | |
| B–V = 0.870[1] S(assumed)[8] · S[3] | |
| 11.77±0.11[9] · 11.83[4] · 12.07[1] · 12.1[3][6][8] | |
2159 Kukkamäki, provisional designation1941 UX, is a stonyasteroid from the inner region of theasteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 16 October 1941, by Finnish astronomerLiisi Oterma atTurku Observatory in Southwest Finland.[10] It was later named after Finnish geodesistTauno Kukkamäki.[2]
Kukkamäki is a stonyS-type asteroid. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.4–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 11 months (1,429 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.04 and aninclination of 3° with respect to theecliptic.[1]Kukkamäki was first identified as1929 TL atLowell Observatory in 1929, extending the body'sobservation arc by 12 prior to its official discovery observation.[10]
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Kukkamäki measures between 9.86 and 12.14 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo between 0.193 and 0.337,[4][5][6] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and derives a diameter of 11.30 kilometers based on an absolutemagnitude of 12.1.[3]
During an asteroid survey conducted atMcDonald Observatory andCTIO in the 1980s, a rotationallightcurve ofKukkamäki was obtained by astronomerRichard Binzel. The photoelectric observation gave a well-definedrotation period of 4.06 hours with a brightness variation of 0.32 magnitude (U=3), superseding a previous result based on a fragmentary lightcurve.[8]
Thisminor planet was named after Finnish geodesistTauno Kukkamäki (1909–1997), who was the director of theFinnish Geodetic Institute for many years and the president of theInternational Association of Geodesy. He was also a distinguished disciple ofYrjö Väisälä.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 November 1979 (M.P.C. 5014).[11]
