| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. A. Wirtanen |
| Discovery site | Lick Obs. |
| Discovery date | 26 July 1949 |
| Designations | |
| (1951) Lick | |
Named after | James Lick(philanthropist)[2] |
| 1949 OA | |
| Mars-crosser[1][3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 67.12 yr (24,514 days) |
| Aphelion | 1.4760AU |
| Perihelion | 1.3049 AU |
| 1.3904 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0616 |
| 1.64yr (599 days) | |
| 221.32° | |
| 0° 36m 3.96s / day | |
| Inclination | 39.091° |
| 130.75° | |
| 140.52° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.3068 AU · 119.5LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 5.57±0.5 km(IRAS:3)[5] 5.59 km(derived)[4] |
| 4.424±0.006h[6] 5.2974±0.0004 h[7] 5.3008±0.0024 h[a] 5.3016±0.0020 h[b] 5.317±0.001 h[8] | |
| 0.0895±0.020(IRAS:3)[5] 0.1028(derived)[4] | |
| SMASS =A[1] · A[4][6] | |
| 14.20±0.2[b] · 14.2[1] · 14.35±0.2[9] · 14.35[4] · 14.5±0.2[6] · 14.51[5] | |
1951 Lick, provisional designation1949 OA, is a rare-typeasteroid andMars-crosser, approximately 5.6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 July 1949, by American astronomerCarl Wirtanen atLick Observatory on the summit of Mount Hamilton, California, and named for American philanthropistJames Lick.[2][3]
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.3–1.5 AU once every 20 months (599 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.06 and aninclination of 39° with respect to theecliptic.[1]Lick'sobservation arc begins with its discovery observation, as noprecoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made.[3]
In theSMASS taxonomic scheme,Lick'sspectral type is that of a rareA-type asteroid with a surface consisting of almost pureolivine.[10] As of 2016, only 17 minor planets of this type are known.[11]
In July 2008, a rotationallightcurve was obtained from photometric by astronomerBrian D. Warner at his Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado, United States. It gave a well-definedrotation period of 5.2974 hours with a brightness variation of 0.25 inmagnitude (U=3).[7] Several lightcurves with a lower or unassessed quality have been obtained by astronomersWiesław Z. Wiśniewski andPetr Pravec in the 1980s and 1990s.[6][a][b] The most recent observation by Michael Lucas in February 2011, gave a period of 5.317 hours with an amplitude of 0.33 magnitude (U=2).[8]
According to 3 observations taken by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS,Lick measures 5.57 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.09.[5] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the results obtained by IRAS and derives an albedo of 0.10 and a diameter of 5.59 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 14.35.[4]
Lick was named in honor ofJames Lick (1796–1876), Americanphilanthropist and the founder of the discovering Lick Observatory of the University of California. He is also honored by a lunar craterLick.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 20 February 1976 (M.P.C. 3938).[12]
