| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Endate K. Watanabe |
| Discovery site | Kitami Obs. |
| Discovery date | 16 September 1993 |
| Designations | |
| (6980) Kyusakamoto | |
Named after | Kyu Sakamoto (Japanese singer)[2] |
| 1993 SV1 · 1979 WH7 1988 RU13 | |
| main-belt · Koronis[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 36.98 yr (13,508 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9663AU |
| Perihelion | 2.7030 AU |
| 2.8347 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0464 |
| 4.77yr (1,743 days) | |
| 62.052° | |
| 0° 12m 23.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.2909° |
| 97.461° | |
| 211.58° | |
| TJupiter | 3.3080 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 8.791±0.081 km[4][5] 8.98 km(calculated)[3] |
| 3.2526±0.0042h(R)[6] 3.2529±0.0042 h(S)[6] | |
| 0.24(assumed)[3] 0.301±0.037[4][5] | |
| S[3] | |
| 12.2[4] · 12.367±0.002(R)[6] · 12.4[1][3] · 12.45±0.07[7] · 12.966±0.003(S)[6] | |
6980 Kyusakamoto, provisional designation1993 SV1, is a stonyKoronisasteroid from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Japanese astronomersKin Endate andKazuro Watanabe atKitami Observatory on 16 September 1993.[8] The asteroid was named after Japanese singerKyu Sakamoto.[2]
Kyusakamoto is a member of theKoronis family, which is named after158 Koronis and consists of about 300 known bodies with nearlyecliptical orbits. It orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 9 months (1,743 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.05 and aninclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
In November 1979, it was first identified as1979 WH7 atCrimea–Nauchnij, extending the body'sobservation arc by 14 years prior to its official discovery observation at Kitami.[8]
In August 2012, a rotationallightcurve ofKyusakamoto was obtained throughphotometric observations at thePalomar Transient Factory, California. The lightcurve showed aperiod of3.2529±0.0042 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.40 inmagnitude (U=2). In the Mould-R filter (R), a different photometric band, the observations rendered a nearly identical period of3.2526±0.0042 hours with an amplitude of 0.41 (U=2).[6]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA's space-basedWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Kyusakamoto measures 8.8 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a highalbedo of 0.30,[4][5] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes astony albedo of 0.24 and calculates a slightly larger diameter of 9.0 kilometers.[3]
Thisminor planet was named in memory of Japanese popular singerKyu Sakamoto (1941–1985), who died in the crash ofJapan Air Lines Flight 123, the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history. Adored as "Kyu-chan", he is best known for his hit,I Look Up As I Walk ("Sukiyaki"), which became a worldwide bestseller. The naming also refers to his collaboratorsRokusuke Ei andHachidai Nakamura, songwriter and pianist, respectively.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 5 October 1998 (M.P.C. 32789).[9]
