_Greenwich.png) Shape model ofGreenwich from itslightcurve | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. Bowell |
| Discovery site | Anderson Mesa Stn. |
| Discovery date | 14 April 1980 |
| Designations | |
| (2830) Greenwich | |
Named after | Royal Greenwich Observatory (historical observatory)[2] |
| 1980 GA · 1969 KC 1978 VZ14 | |
| main-belt · Phocaea[3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 47.96 yr (17,517 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.8663AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8899 AU |
| 2.3781 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2053 |
| 3.67yr (1,340 days) | |
| 81.928° | |
| 0° 16m 7.68s / day | |
| Inclination | 25.355° |
| 49.015° | |
| 141.10° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 7.892±0.100[5] 9.197±0.064 km[6] 9.25 km(taken)[3] 9.252 km[7] 9.50±0.43 km[8] | |
| 24 h[9] | |
| 0.172±0.027[8][5] 0.1846±0.0451[6] 0.1865[7] | |
| Tholen =S[1] · S[3] B–V = 0.867[1] U–B = 0.441[1] | |
| 12.55±0.51[10] · 12.61[3][7][11] · 12.64[1][6][8] | |
2830 Greenwich (prov. designation:1980 GA) is a brightPhocaea asteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt. It was discovered on 14 April 1980, by American astronomerEdward Bowell at Lowell's U.S.Anderson Mesa Station, Arizona, and named for the historicalRoyal Greenwich Observatory in England.[2][12] The stonyS-type asteroid has a longrotation period of 24 hours and measures approximately 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) in diameter
Greenwich is a member of thePhocaea family (701),[4] a group of asteroids with similar orbital characteristics. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,340 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.21 and aninclination of 25° with respect to theecliptic.[1] It was first identified as1969 KC atCrimea-Nauchnij in 1969, extending the asteroid'sobservation arc by 11 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.[12]
Thisminor planet is named for theRoyal Greenwich Observatory, home of theAstronomer Royal and located in the London borough of Greenwich, England. The naming took place on the occasion of the centennial of its adoption as "theGreenwich prime meridian for longitude and time". Founded for naval purposes in 1675, the Royal Observatory quickly became a leading institution in astronomy. In 1884, the prime meridian finally became a worldwide standard.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 15 May 1984 (M.P.C. 8801).[13]
In theTholen taxonomy,Greenwich is classified as a stonyS-type asteroid.[1]
In May 2002, a photometriclightcurve analysis by French amateur astronomerChristophe Demeautis gave an ambiguousrotation period of 24 hours with a brightness variation of 0.5 inmagnitude (U=2).[9]
According to the surveys carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Greenwich measures between 7.9 and 9.5 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo between 0.17 and 0.19.[5][6][8] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adoptsPetr Pravec's revised WISE-results, that is, a diameter of 9.252 kilometer with an albedo of 0.1865 and anabsolute magnitude of 12.61.[3][7]
