_Massachusetts.png) Massachusetts modeled from itslightcurve | |
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Watanabe K. Endate |
| Discovery site | JCPM Sapporo Stn. (392) |
| Discovery date | 16 May 1990 |
| Designations | |
| (4547) Massachusetts | |
Named after | Massachusetts (List of U.S. states)[2] |
| 1990 KP · 1958 TW 1960 ED · 1962 UF 1974 TD · 1977 FB2 1979 UJ2 · 1985 DC2 1987 SP13 · A909 BG | |
| main-belt · (middle) [3] background [4] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 108.42 yr (39,602 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.7966AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4305 AU |
| 2.6136 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0700 |
| 4.23yr (1,543 days) | |
| 346.61° | |
| 0° 13m 59.88s / day | |
| Inclination | 18.016° |
| 358.31° | |
| 37.908° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 21.85±6.57 km[5] 24.13 km(derived)[3] 24.37±2.8 km[6] 25.52±0.52 km[7] 31.41±10.35 km[8] 31.69±0.72 km[9] 33.036±0.214 km[10] 33.395±0.169 km[11] | |
| 7.703±0.005 h[12] 7.75±0.02 h[13] | |
| 0.039±0.010[10] 0.0398±0.0077[11] 0.04±0.04[8] 0.06±0.03[5] 0.068±0.013[7] 0.0695(derived)[3] 0.073±0.004[9] 0.1184±0.032[6] | |
| SMASS =X [1][3] · P [11] | |
| 11.00[6][9] · 11.50[7][11] · 11.60[3][8] · 11.7[1] · 11.95[5] | |
4547 Massachusetts (prov. designation:1990 KP) is a darkbackground asteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 24 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 16 May 1990, by Japanese astronomersKin Endate andKazuro Watanabe at the JCPM Sapporo Station (392) on the island of Hokkaido, Japan.[14] The asteroid was named for the U.S. state ofMassachusetts.[2]
Massachusetts is a non-family asteroid of the main belt'sbackground population.[4] It orbits the Sun in thecentral asteroid belt at a distance of 2.4–2.8 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,543 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.07 and aninclination of 18° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The asteroid was first observed as1969 TF atCrimea-Nauchnij in October 1969. The body'sobservation arc also begins at Nauchnij in October 1980, more than seven years prior to its official discovery observation at Sapporo.[14]
Thisminor planet was named afterMassachusetts, theU.S. state in which theMinor Planet Center (MPC) is located. In the late 19th century, there had been an agricultural and technological knowledge transfer from Massachusetts to Hokkaido, where this asteroid was discovered. The Japanese island ofHokkaido andMassachusetts also have a sister-state relationship since 1990.[2] The official naming citation was published by the MPC on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19337).[15]
In theSMASS classification,Massachusetts is anX-type asteroid,[1] while theWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) characterizes it as a primitiveP-type asteroid with analbedo of 0.0398.[11]
Photometric observations ofMassachusetts during January 2006, by AmericanBrian Warner at the Palmer Divide Observatory (716) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, were used to generate a well-definedlightcurve with arotation period of 7.703 hours and a variation in brightness of 0.29magnitude.[12][a]
In February 2006, photometric observations by French amateur astronomerPierre Antonini, gave a concurring period of 7.75 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.27magnitude (U=3-).[13]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA's WISE telescope,Massachusetts measures between 21.85 and 33.395 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.039 and 0.1184.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0695 and a diameter of 24.13 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 11.6.[3]
