| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. F. Helin |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 26 September 1973 |
| Designations | |
| (2143) Jimarnold | |
Named after | James R. Arnold[2] (American chemist) |
| 1973 SA · 1980 VZ1 | |
| main-belt · (inner) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 62.13 yr (22,693d) |
| Aphelion | 2.8147AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7468 AU |
| 2.2807 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2341 |
| 3.44yr (1,258 days) | |
| 270.79° | |
| 0° 17m 9.96s / day | |
| Inclination | 8.3651° |
| 17.405° | |
| 352.42° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 4.934±0.145 km[4] |
| 0.138±0.017[4] | |
| 13.7[1] | |
2143 Jimarnold, provisional designation1973 SA, is a backgroundasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 September 1973, by astronomerEleanor Helin at thePalomar Observatory in California, United States.[5] The asteroid was named after American cosmochemist,James R. Arnold.[2]
Jimarnold is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun in theinner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.7–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,258 days;semi-major axis of 2.28 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.23 and aninclination of 8° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The body'sobservation arc begins with aprecovery taken at Palomar in April 1954, almost two decades prior to its official discovery observation.[5]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Jimarnold measures 4.934 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.138.[4]
As of 2017, no rotationallightcurve ofJimarnold has been obtained from photometric observations. The body'srotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.[1][6]
Thisminor planet was named afterJames R. Arnold (1923–2012), professor of chemistry and director of California Space Science Institute at theUniversity of California, San Diego. Arnold'scosmochemical research included the study ofcosmic radiation, the origin ofmeteorites, for which he developed a computer model, thelunar soil and mapping of the Moon's composition.[2] The officialnaming citation was proposed by the discoverer andEugene Shoemaker, and published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 July 1979 (M.P.C. 4788).[7]
In 2013, Arnold's son proposed that the interrobang‽ be used as a symbol for the asteroid, reflecting his father's curiosity and his "insistence upon working with the resulting reality".[8]
