| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 22 August 1987 |
| Designations | |
| (10502) Armaghobs | |
| Pronunciation | /ɑːrˈmɑːəbz/ar-MAH-əbs |
Named after | Armagh Observatory (in Northern Ireland)[2] |
| 1987 QF6 · 1980 PJ2 1994 RJ29 | |
| Mars-crosser[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 36.73 yr (13,416 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.0439AU |
| Perihelion | 1.5745 AU |
| 2.3092 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3182 |
| 3.51yr (1,282 days) | |
| 145.86° | |
| 0° 16m 51.24s / day | |
| Inclination | 21.927° |
| 170.23° | |
| 263.26° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2.61±0.59 km[4] 2.97 km(calculated)[3] |
| 24.978±0.002h[5] | |
| 0.20(assumed)[3] 0.22±0.14[4] | |
| S[3] · Q[6] | |
| 15.0[1][3] · 15.18 · 15.44±0.08[6] | |
10502 Armaghobs (/ɑːrˈmɑːəbz/ar-MAH-əbz), provisional designation1987 QF6, is an eccentric, rare-type stonyasteroid andMars-crosser from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 2.6 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered on 22 August 1987, by American astronomerEleanor Helin at thePalomar Observatory in California, United States.[7] It was named for theArmagh Observatory in Northern Ireland.[2]
Armaghobs orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.6–3.0 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,282 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.32 and aninclination of 22° with respect to theecliptic.[1] It was first identified as1980 PJ2 at ESO'sLa Silla Observatory in 1980, extending the body'sobservation arc by 7 years prior to its official discovery observation at Palomar.[7]
TheArmaghobs has been characterized as a relatively rareQ-type asteroid byPan-STARRS photometric survey.[6]
In February 2013, a rotationallightcurve ofArmaghobs was obtained from photometric observations by Kevin Hills at theRiverland Dingo Observatory at Moorook, South Australia. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of24.978 hours with a brightness variation of 0.51magnitude (U=2).[5]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Armaghobs measures 2.61 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.22.[4] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standardalbedo forstony asteroids of 0.20, and calculates a diameter of 2.97 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 15.0.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after theArmagh Observatory in Northern Ireland. The present-day astronomical research institute was founded by Archbishop Richard Robinson in 1790. The Estonian astronomerErnst Öpik, after whom2099 Öpik is named, had been a long-time member of the Observatory. It is also known for the invention of thecup-anemometer byThomas Robinson, theNew General Catalogue compiled by John Dreyer, and Lindsay'sArmagh-Dunsink-Harvard telescope.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 9 January 2001(M.P.C. 41937).[8]
