| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. Yanai K. Watanabe |
| Discovery site | Kitami Obs. |
| Discovery date | 7 September 1989 |
| Designations | |
| (4263) Abashiri | |
Named after | Abashiri(Japanese city)[2] |
| 1989 RL2 · 1935 KE 1952 OS · 1969 TS3 1972 OB · 1978 EK 1981 AT1 · 1982 PF 1988 DK5 | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 66.06 yr (24,129 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5445AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9251 AU |
| 2.2348 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1386 |
| 3.34yr (1,220 days) | |
| 229.15° | |
| 0° 17m 42s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.8057° |
| 298.07° | |
| 307.66° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7.17 km(derived)[3] 8.98±0.44 km[4] |
| 4.8817±0.0001 h[a] 4.8820±0.0002h[b] 4.88230±0.00008 h[c] | |
| 0.200±0.033[4] 0.24(assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
| 12.7[1] · 12.60[4] · 12.44±0.08(R)[b] · 12.93±0.094[3][5] | |
4263 Abashiri, provisional designation1989 RL2, is a stony Floraasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 7 September 1989, by Japanese astronomersMasayuki Yanai andKazuro Watanabe atKitami Observatory in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan.[6] It was named for the Japanese city ofAbashiri.[2]
Abashiri is a member of theFlora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,220 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.14 and aninclination of 6° with respect to theecliptic.[1] Due to aprecovery obtained atPalomar Observatory in 1951, the asteroid'sobservation arc could be extended by 38 years prior to its discovery.[6]
Abashiri has been characterized as a stonyS-type asteroid.[3]
Between 2008 and 2016, three rotationallightcurves ofAbashiri were obtained by Czech astronomerPetr Pravec atOndřejov Observatory. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-definedrotation period of between 4.8817 and 4.88230 hours with a corresponding brightness variation between 0.11 and 0.42magnitude (U=3/3).[a][b][c]
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Abashiri measures 9.0 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.20,[4] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24, derived from8 Flora, the Flora family's largest member and namesake, and calculates a somewhat smaller diameter of 7.2 kilometers.[3]
Thisminor planet was named for the Japanese city ofAbashiri, known for its fishing industry. It is located at theSea of Okhotsk, about 50 kilometers east of Kitami, in the eastern part of the island of Hokkaidō. The minor planets,3720 Hokkaido and3785 Kitami are named after the island and city, respectively.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 21 November 1991(M.P.C. 19336).[7]
