| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Lincoln Lab's ETS |
| Discovery date | 19 February 2001 |
| Designations | |
| (25924) Douglasadams | |
Named after | Douglas Adams (English author)[2] |
| 2001 DA42 · 1999 VX149 | |
| main-belt · (inner) Nysa[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 20.30 yr (7,415 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.8155AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0147 AU |
| 2.4151 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1658 |
| 3.75yr (1,371 days) | |
| 51.562° | |
| 0° 15m 45.36s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.7272° |
| 307.27° | |
| 313.38° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2.410±0.528 km[4] |
| 0.210±0.139[4] | |
| 15.6[1] | |
25924 Douglasadams (provisional designation2001 DA42) is a Nysianasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 2.4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 February 2001, by astronomers of theLincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research at theLincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site in New Mexico, United States. The asteroid was named for novelistDouglas Adams.[5]
Douglasadams is a member of theNysa family (405),[3] better described as the Nysa–Polana complex, as it contains at least threeasteroid families with distinctspectral types (SFC).[6]: 23 It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,371 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.17 and aninclination of 2° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The body'sobservation arc begins with aprecovery taken bySpacewatch atKitt Peak Observatory in January 1997, more than four years prior to its official discovery observation at Lincoln Lab's ETS.[5]
Thespectral type of Douglasadams is unknown. Based on itsalbedo(see below) it is likely a common stonyS-type asteroid.[1]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Douglasadams measures 2.410 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.210.[4] It has anabsolute magnitude of 15.6.[1]
As of 2017, no rotationallightcurve of Douglasadams has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid'srotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.[7]
Thisminor planet was named in memory of English novelistDouglas Adams (1952–2001), because itsprovisional designation2001 DA42 happened to contain the year of his death, his initials, and theAnswer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything (42), as given in his novel serialThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 25 January 2005 (M.P.C. 53471).[8]
The asteroid18610 Arthurdent, discovered byFelix Hormuth in 1998, was named after the bewildered hero of Douglas Adams'sThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
