| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Shoemaker |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 13 January 1983 |
| Designations | |
| (2906) Caltech | |
Named after | Caltech (owner of Palomar Obs.)[2] |
| 1983 AE2 · 1957 KJ 1957 MA · 1974 LC 1976 YS2 · 1983 CD | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 60.01 yr (21,920 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5070AU |
| Perihelion | 2.8262 AU |
| 3.1666 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1075 |
| 5.64yr (2,058 days) | |
| 144.97° | |
| 0° 10m 29.64s / day | |
| Inclination | 30.646° |
| 84.493° | |
| 295.36° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 50.83±15.31 km[4] 52.49±13.11 km[5] 57.88 km(derived)[3] 57.98±2.3 km[6] 58.678±0.659 km[7] 61.07±0.72 km[8] |
| 12.99±0.05h[9] 12.9937±0.0005 h[9] 12.999±0.0169 h[10] | |
| 0.0438(derived)[3] 0.048±0.001[8] 0.051±0.012[7] 0.0526±0.004[6] 0.06±0.04[5] | |
| SMASS = Xc · C[3] | |
| 9.96±0.59[11] · 10.0[6][7][8] · 10.035±0.002(R)[10] · 10.10[4] · 10.2[1][3] · 10.33[5] | |
2906 Caltech, provisional designation1983 AE2, is anasteroid from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 56 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 13 January 1983 by American astronomerCarolyn Shoemaker atPalomar Observatory in the United States.[12] It is named after theCalifornia Institute of Technology.[2]
Caltech orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.8–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,058 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.11 and aninclination of 31° with respect to theecliptic.[1] It was first identified as1957 KJ atGoethe Link Observatory in 1957, extending the body'sobservation arc by 26 years prior to its official discovery at Palomar.[12]
In theSMASS taxonomy,Caltech is a Xc-type asteroid, which transitions between the coreX and carbonaceousC types.[1]
Between 2006 and 2012, a total of 3 rotationallightcurves ofCaltech were obtained from photometric observations by Italian amateur astronomersSilvano Casulli and Federico Manzini as well as at thePalomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a concurringrotation period of 12.99 hours with a brightness variation between 0.16 and 0.27magnitude (U=2-/2/2).[9][10]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite, and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Caltech measures between 50.83 and 61.07 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo between 0.048 and 0.06.[4][5][6][7][8] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0438 and a diameter of 57.88 kilometers using anabsolute magnitude of 12.2.[3]
Thisminor planet is named after the California Institute of Technology,Caltech, which is the owner and operator of the discovering Palomar Observatory. The discovery was made with the 0.46-m Schmidt telescope, the first telescope installed on Palomar.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 22 September 1983 (M.P.C. 8154).[13]
