 Severalradar images ofCuno | |
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Hoffmeister |
| Discovery site | Boyden Obs. |
| Discovery date | 5 June 1959 |
| Designations | |
| (4183) Cuno | |
Named after | Cuno Hoffmeister (astronomer)[2] |
| 1959 LM · 1986 VT7 1987 MB | |
| Apollo · NEO · PHA [1][3] Mars-crosser Venus-crosser | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 57.59 yr (21,036 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.2396AU |
| Perihelion | 0.7248 AU |
| 1.9822 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.6343 |
| 2.79yr (1,019 days) | |
| 338.28° | |
| 0° 21m 11.52s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.7051° |
| 294.90° | |
| 236.34° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0283 AU · 11LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 2.945±0.115 km[4] 3.73±0.15[5] 3.92 km(calculated)[6] 5.38 km[7] 5.49 km[8] 5.618±0.457 km[9] | |
| 3.558±0.002h[10] 3.5590±0.001 h[a] 3.5595 h[b] | |
| 0.097±0.025[9][11] 0.10±0.10[12] 0.10[8] 0.11[7] 0.20(assumed)[6] 0.23±0.04[4] 0.36±0.06[4] | |
| SMASS = Sq [1] Q [13][14][15] · S [6][16] B–V =0.806±0.013[13] V–R =0.457±0.008[13] V–I =0.746±0.009[13] | |
| 14.00[16] · 14.01±0.32[15] · 14.35[5] · 14.4[1][4][6][8][9] | |
4183 Cuno, provisional designation1959 LM, is an eccentric, rare-typeasteroid, classified asnear-Earth object andpotentially hazardous asteroid of theApollo group, and measures approximately 4 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 5 June 1959, by German astronomerCuno Hoffmeister atBoyden Observatory in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and later named in the discoverer's honor.[2][3]
Cuno orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.7–3.2 AU once every 2 years and 9 months (1,019 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.63 and aninclination of 7° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins with its identification as1986 VT7, the first used observation made atPalomar Observatory in 1986, approximately 27 years after its official discovery observation at Boyden.[3]
The asteroid has an Earthminimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0283 AU (4,230,000 km), which translates into 11lunar distances.[1]Cuno approaches the Earth to within 40 million kilometers six times in the 21st century. On 20 May 2012, it made its closest Earth approach at a distance of 0.122 AU (18,000,000 km).[17] It will not make a closer approach until 2093 when it will pass Earth at 0.084 AU (13,000,000 km).[17]
Due to its eccentric orbit, it is also aMars andVenus-crosser.[1]
Cuno is a stonyS-type asteroid.[16] As it has a reflective surface, composed of a mixture differentsilicates, nickel and iron, Cuno has been characterized as a rareQ-type asteroid by the 1-meterJacobus Kapteyn Telescope on La Palma,Pan-STARRS' large-scale magnitude survey, andNASA IRTF telescope.[13][14][15] On theSMASS taxonomic scheme, Cuno is a Sq-subtype, a transitional group between the S and Q types.[1]
Several rotationallightcurves were obtained by Czech astronomerPetr Pravec and American astronomerBrian Warner between 1998 and 2014. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 3.56 hours with a high brightness amplitude between 0.47 and 0.83 inmagnitude, indicating that the body has a non-spheroidal shape.[10][a][b]
In December 2000, Cuno was analysed byradar to determine its shape. The resultant images are lacking in detail, but indicate a rough sphere with some kind of concave depression 1–2 km in diameter.[citation needed]
Following the space-based surveys carried out by NASA'sSpitzer Space Telescope and theNEOWISE mission of theWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Cuno has analbedo between 0.097 and 0.36, and a diameter between 2.945 and 5.618 kilometers.[4][5][7][8][9]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for the stony asteroid of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 3.9 kilometer with anabsolute magnitude of 14.4, as the higher the body's albedo (reflectivity), the lower its diameter at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).[6]
Thisminor planet was named after its discoverer,Cuno Hoffmeister, according to the established practice to name near-Earth asteroids with a four-letter masculine name.[2] The central main-belt asteroid1726 Hoffmeister, namesake of the Hofmeister family, is also named after the discoverer. The official naming citation was published on 28 May 1991 (M.P.C. 18307).[18]
