| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Harvard University |
| Discovery site | Oak Ridge Obs. |
| Discovery date | 3 November 1975 |
| Designations | |
| (4776) Luyi | |
Named after | Luyi(Chinese town)[1] |
| 1975 VD · 1982 RD2 1982 UU | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (inner) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 42.21yr (15,418 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.8529AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7765 AU |
| 2.3147 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2325 |
| 3.52 yr (1,286 d) | |
| 40.564° | |
| 0° 16m 47.64s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.3929° |
| 3.2435° | |
| 349.13° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 3.645±0.045 km[4] | |
| 0.305±0.030[4] | |
| 14.3[2] | |
4776 Luyi, provisional designation1975 VD, is a bright backgroundasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 3 November 1975, byHarvard astronomers at theOak Ridge Observatory inMassachusetts, United States. The asteroid was named for the Chinese town ofLuyi, birthplace ofLaozi who foundedTaoism.[1]Luyi is also named after the son of Harvard astronomerCheng-yuan Shao.[1]
Luyi is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun in theinner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,286 days;semi-major axis of 2.31 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.23 and aninclination of 5° with respect to theecliptic.[2] The body'sobservation arc begins with its first and official discovery observation at Oak Ridge.[1]
The asteroid has anabsolute magnitude of 14.3.[2] Itsspectral type is unknown. Based on its high albedo(see below),Luyi is a bright asteroid of theS-complex. As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve has been obtained fromphotometric observations. The body'srotation period,pole and shape remain unknown.[2]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 3.645 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a highalbedo of 0.30.[4]
Thisminor planet was named after a town in the easternHenan province ofChina that was the birthplace ofLaozi, founder ofTaoism, because long-time participant in Harvard's minor-planet program, astronomerCheng-yuan Shao (born 1927), came from that town(also see1881 Shao). The asteroid is also named after his son, Luyi.[1]
The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19339).[5]
