| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. Natori T. Urata |
| Discovery site | JCPM Yakiimo Stn. |
| Discovery date | 26 October 1992 |
| Designations | |
| (5855) Yukitsuna | |
Named after | Minamoto no Yukitsuna [1] (Japanese general) |
| 1992 UO2 · 1943 UF 1974 FQ1 · 1988 VD9 1988 XO3 | |
| main-belt [1][2] · (middle) Maria [3] · Eunomia [4] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 74.49yr (27,207 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.9480AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1566 AU |
| 2.5523 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1551 |
| 4.08 yr (1,489 d) | |
| 124.59° | |
| 0° 14m 30.12s / day | |
| Inclination | 15.509° |
| 20.596° | |
| 323.91° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 10.585±0.245 km[5] 11.03 km(calculated)[4] 11.100±0.138 km[6] | |
| 19.04±0.04 h[7] 19.2 h[8] | |
| 0.21(assumed)[4] 0.273±0.046[6] 0.3002±0.0416[5] | |
| S(assumed)[4] | |
| 11.8[5] 12.1[2][4] | |
5855 Yukitsuna, provisional designation1992 UO2, is a stony Marianasteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers (7 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 26 October 1992, by Japanese astronomersAkira Natori andTakeshi Urata at theJCPM Yakiimo Station.[1] The likely elongatedS-type asteroid has arotation period of 19 hours.[4] It was named forMinamoto no Yukitsuna, a Japanese general during theHeian era.[1]
Yukitsuna is a core member of theMaria family (506),[3] a large intermediate beltfamily ofstony asteroids.[9] Alternatively, it has also been assigned to the stonyEunomia family (502), one of the most prominent families in the intermediate main belt with more than 5,000 members.[4]
It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.2–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,489 days;semi-major axis of 2.55 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.16 and aninclination of 16° with respect to theecliptic.[2]
The asteroid was first observed as1943 UF atHeidelberg Observatory in October 1943. The body'sobservation arc begins as1974 FQ1 atCrimea–Nauchnij in March 1974, more than 17 years prior to its official discovery observation at Yakiimo.[1]
Yukitsuna is an assumedS-type asteroid,[4] as is the overallspectral type of both the Maria and Eunomia family.[9]: 23
In January 2006, a rotationallightcurve ofYukitsuna was obtained fromphotometric observations by Federico Manzini at the Sozzago Astronomical Station (A12) in Italy. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 19.2 hours with a brightness variation of 0.8magnitude (U=2).[8] In September 2008, a more refined period of 19.04 hours and an amplitude of 0.80 magnitude was measured at theOakley Southern Sky Observatory andOakley Observatory (U=2+).[7] The high brightness variation of 0.8 magnitude is indicative for an elongated, non-spherical shape.
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Yukitsuna measures between 10.585 and 11.100 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.273 and 0.3002.[5][6]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.21 – derived from15 Eunomia, the parent body of the Eunomia family – and calculates a diameter of 11.03 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 12.1.[4]
Thisminor planet was named afterMinamoto no Yukitsuna, a general of the lateHeian period of Japanese history.[1] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 14 December 1997 (M.P.C. 31024).[10]
