| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pises Obs. |
| Discovery site | Pises Obs. |
| Discovery date | 17 July 1999 |
| Designations | |
| (20488) Pic-du-Midi | |
Named after | Pic du Midi Observatory (in the FrenchPyrenees)[2] |
| 1999 OL · 1998 HD60 | |
| main-belt · (middle)[3] background | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 19.28 yr (7,041 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1496AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3196 AU |
| 2.7346 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1518 |
| 4.52yr (1,652 days) | |
| 342.51° | |
| 0° 13m 4.8s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.0346° |
| 345.85° | |
| 354.85° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 6.64 km(calculated)[3] 7.894±0.199 km[4][5] | |
| 2.812±0.0004 h[6] | |
| 0.057(assumed)[3] 0.059±0.013[4][5] | |
| C(assumed)[3] | |
| 14.167±0.002(R)[6] · 14.2[1][4] · 14.62[3] | |
20488 Pic-du-Midi (provisional designation1999 OL) is a backgroundasteroid from the middle region of theasteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 July 1999, by astronomers atPises Observatory in southern France.[7] The asteroid was named for thePic du Midi Observatory.[2]
Pic-du-Midi is a non-family from the main belt'sbackground population. It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.3–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,652 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.15 and aninclination of 7° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The firstprecovery was taken bySpacewatch at Kitt Peak in 1997, extending the body'sobservation arc by more than 2 years prior to its official discovery observation at Pises.[7]
In September 2013, a photometriclightcurve of Pic-du-Midi was obtained at thePalomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 2.812 hours with a brightness variation of 0.14 inmagnitude (U=2).[6] For an asteroid of its size, Pic-du-Midi has a relatively fast spin rate, not significantly above the 2.2-hour threshold for the so-calledfast rotators.
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission, Pic-du-Midi measures 7.894 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo of 0.059,[4][5] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo forcarbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 6.64 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 12.62.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after thePic du Midi Observatory located on thePyrenees mountains in southern France. Founded by theRamond Society in 1881, the observatory pioneered the study of thesolar corona andcosmic rays and was one of the first to use high-resolution techniques.[2] The approved naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 9 March 2001 (M.P.C. 42368).[8]
