 Orbital diagram of 274301 Wikipedia | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Andrushivka Obs. |
| Discovery site | Andrushivka Obs. |
| Discovery date | 25 August 2008 |
| Designations | |
| (274301) Wikipedia | |
| Pronunciation | /ˌwɪkiˈpiːdiə/ WIK-i-PEE-dee-ə |
Named after | Wikipedia[1] (online encyclopedia) |
| 2008 QH24 1997 RO4 2007 FK34 | |
| main belt[1][2] · (inner) Vesta[3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 20.62yr (7,530 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.7306AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0325 AU |
| 2.3815 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1466 |
| 3.68 yr (1,342 d) | |
| 335.71° | |
| 0° 16m 5.52s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.7312° |
| 183.37° | |
| 139.37° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 0.95 km(est. at0.35)[5] 1.5±0.5 km(assumed)[6] | |
| V orS(SDSS-MOC)[3] | |
| 17.00[1] | |
274301 Wikipedia, provisional designation2008 QH24, is aVestian asteroid orbiting in the inner region of theasteroid belt, approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) in diameter. It was discovered on 25 August 2008 by astronomers at theAndrushivka Astronomical Observatory in northern Ukraine.[1] Theasteroid was named after the online encyclopediaWikipedia in January 2013.[2]
The decision of theCommittee for Small Body Nomenclature to assign the name "Wikipedia" to the asteroid was published in theMinor Planet Circulars on 27 January 2013 (M.P.C. 82403).[7] The asteroid received the number274301.[8] The name was proposed by Andriy Makukha, a board member ofWikimedia Ukraine. It was submitted to the Committee by the owner of the observatory,Yuri Ivashchenko.[9] It reads:
Wikipedia is a free,copyleft, collaboratively edited online encyclopedia launched in 2001. In 11 years of its compilation it became one of the largest reference works and one of the most visited web-sites on the Internet. It is developed in more than 270 languages by enthusiasts from all over the world.
— International Astronomical Union, 13 January 2013[2]
Wikipedia is a member of theVesta family (401), one of the most numerousasteroid families in theasteroid belt.[3] It is located in the proximity of21791 Mattweegman, one of the family's principal members.[4] Vestian asteroids have a composition akin to cumulateeucrites (HED meteorites). They are thought to have originated deep withinVesta's crust, possibly from theRheasilvia crater, a largeimpact crater on its southern hemisphere which formed as the result of a subcatastrophic collision.[10] Wikipedia orbits the Sun in theinner asteroid belt at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU (300–400 million km) once every 3 years and 8 months (1,342 days;semi-major axis of 2.38 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.15 and aninclination of 7° with respect to theecliptic.[2] The asteroid'sobservation arc begins almost 11 years prior to its official discovery, with its first observation being1997 RO4 by theODAS survey in September 1997.[1]
The asteroid now named Wikipedia was discovered byastronomers from theAndrushivka Astronomical Observatory (A50) inUkraine, the country's only privately owned observatory,[9] which has discovered over 120 asteroids since 2003.[11] It was first observed by the Andrushivka team on 25 August 2008 at 22:47 UTC.[1] It was also observed on the next night and it received provisional designation2008 QH24.[12] After it was also observed on 6 September by the Andrushivka team, the orbit of the asteroid was calculated accurately. It was shown that the asteroid2008 QH24 was the same as1997 RO4 and2007 FK34 previously spotted by observatoriesCaussols-ODAS (France),Mount Lemmon Survey andSteward Observatory (both in Arizona, U.S.).[1]
