| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | B. A. Skiff |
| Discovery site | Anderson Mesa Stn. |
| Discovery date | 4 November 1983 |
| Designations | |
| (6229) Tursachan | |
Named after | "Standing Stones"[1] (Gaelic language) |
| 1983 VN7 · 1988 RC2 | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (outer) Themis[3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 34.40yr (12,565 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.6472AU |
| Perihelion | 2.5155 AU |
| 3.0814 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1836 |
| 5.41 yr (1,976 d) | |
| 142.06° | |
| 0° 10m 55.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.6495° |
| 146.28° | |
| 234.29° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 8.61 km(calculated)[4] 10.34±2.69 km[5] 11.18±3.50 km[6] 11.603±0.070 km[7][8] | |
| 16.596±0.0167 h[9] | |
| 0.07±0.04[5] 0.076±0.012[7][8] 0.089±0.113[6] 0.08(assumed)[4] | |
| C(assumed)[4] | |
| 13.00[6][8] 13.2[2] 13.236±0.003(R)[9] 13.39±0.24[10] 13.44[5] 13.69[4] | |
6229 Tursachan, provisional designation1983 VN7, is a Themistianasteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 4 November 1983, by American astronomerBrian Skiff at Lowell'sAnderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States.[1] The presumedC-type asteroid has arotation period of 16.6 hours and is possibly elongated.[4] It was named after aGaelic word meaning "Standing Stones".[1]
Tursachan is a Themistian asteroid that belongs to theThemis family (602),[3] a very largefamily of carbonaceous asteroids, named after24 Themis.[4][11]: 23
It orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.5–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 5 months (1,976 days;semi-major axis of 3.08 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.18 and aninclination of 2° with respect to theecliptic.[2] The body'sobservation arc begins with aprecovery taken atPalomar Observatory just 5 nights prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.[1]
Tursachan is an assumedC-type asteroid,[4] which agrees with the overallspectral type for members of the Themis family.[11]: 23
In September 2010, a rotationallightcurve ofTursachan was obtained fromphotometric observations in the R-band by astronomers at thePalomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 16.596 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.57magnitude, indicative of an elongated shape (U=2).[4][9]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Tursachan measures between 10.34 and 11.603 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.07 and 0.089.[5][6][7][8]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.08 and calculates a diameter of 8.61 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 13.69.[4]
Thisminor planet was named after the term "Tursachan", which means "Standing Stones" in theGaelic language (Tursachan is the plural form of Tursa, meaning in Gaelic "megalith, monolith, menhir"), and refers to the stones often placed in circles during theNeolithic (approximately 10,000 BC to 2000 BC) on theBritish Isles. These stones may have been used to follow the seasons and mark astronomical events.[1] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 11 February 1998 (M.P.C. 31296).[12]
