10208 Germanicus

10208 Germanicus, provisional designation 1997 QN1, is a stony Florian asteroid and binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers in diameter.

10208 Germanicus
Discovery [1]
Discovered byA. Vagnozzi
Discovery siteSanta Lucia Obs.
Discovery date30 August 1997
Designations
(10208) Germanicus
Pronunciation/dʒərˈmænɪkəs/[2]
Named after
Germanicus
(Ancient Roman general)[3]
1997 QN1 · 1987 QJ7
1994 WP12
main-belt · Flora [4]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc28.69 yr (10,478 days)
Aphelion2.6849 AU
Perihelion1.7860 AU
2.2354 AU
Eccentricity0.2011
3.34 yr (1,221 days)
351.10°
0° 17m 41.64s / day
Inclination4.5619°
223.63°
115.01°
Known satellites1[5][6][lower-alpha 1]
Physical characteristics
Dimensions2.87±0.62 km[7]
3.50 km (taken)[4]
3.503 km[8]
3.552±0.202 km[9][10]
3.1291±0.0002 h[11]
3.3484±0.0001 h[5]
3.3493±0.0006 h[lower-alpha 2]
0.1747[4][8]
0.267±0.027[9][10]
0.36±0.19[7]
S [4]
14.2±0.2 (R)[5] · 14.3[9] · 14.40[7] · 14.5[1] · 14.79±0.139[4][8]

    It was discovered on 30 August 1997, by Italian amateur astronomer Antonio Vagnozzi at the Santa Lucia Stroncone Astronomical Observatory in Stroncone, Italy, and named for ancient Roman general Germanicus. The asteroid's minor-planet moon was discovered in 2007.

    Orbit and classification

    Germanicus is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest families of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,221 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.20 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first observed at Crimea–Nauchnij and Brorfelde Observatory in August 1987, extending the body's observation arc by 10 years prior to its official discovery observation at Stroncone.[3]

    Diameter and albedo

    According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Germanicus measures 2.87 and 3.552 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.36 and 0.267, respectively.[7][9][10] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts Petr Pravec's revised WISE-data, that is, an albedo of 0.1747 and a diameter of 3.50 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.79.[4]

    Lightcurve and satellite

    In August 2007, a rotational lightcurve of Germanicus was obtained from photometric observations by an international group of astronomers. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 3.1291 hours with a brightness variation of 0.13 magnitude (U=n.a.). It was also revealed that Germanicus is orbited by a minor-planet moon every 58.55 hours. The system has a high secondary-to-primary mean-diameter ratio of 0.46.[5][lower-alpha 1] This translates into a satellite diameter of 1.48 kilometers (based on a primary-diameter of 3.23 kilometers).[6]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named for the ancient Roman general and poet Germanicus (15 BC – AD 19), who led several successful campaigns into Germania.[3] Germanicus was also the nephew and designated heir of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. As a poet, he wrote "Aratea", an astronomical treatise, which illustrated copy is known as the Leiden Aratea.[3] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 May 2010 (M.P.C. 70407).[12]

    Notes
    1. CBET No. 1087, 25 September 2007 – Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams for (10208) Germanicus:
      Photometric observations obtained between 6 August and 18 September 2007, show that 10208 Germanicus is a binary system with an orbital period of 58.55±0.02 hours. The primary has a period of 3.3484±0.0001 hours, and it has a lightcurve brightness variation of 0.13 magnitude. Mutual eclipse/occultation events with a depth 0.21 magnitude suggest a secondary-to-primary mean-diameter ratio of 0.46±0.02.Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams No. 1716
      Julian Oey, Leura Observatory, Australia; Petr Pravec and Peter Kusnirak, Ondrejov Observatory; Yu. Krugly and Vasilij Chiorny, Kharkiv Observatory, Ukraine; and John. Ries, McDonald Observatory
    2. Pravec (2007) web: rotation period 3.3493±0.0006 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.12 mag. Summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) for (10208) Germanicus

    References
    1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 10208 Germanicus (1997 QN1)" (2016-05-03 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
    2. Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
    3. "10208 Germanicus (1997 QN1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
    4. "LCDB Data for (10208) Germanicus". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 31 March 2017.
    5. Oey, J.; Pravec, P.; Kusnirak, P.; Krugly, Yu.; Chiorny, V.; Ries, J. (September 2007). "(10208) 1997 QN1". Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams. 1087 (1087): 1. Bibcode:2007CBET.1087....1O.
    6. Johnston, Robert (21 September 2014). "(10208) Germanicus". johnstonsarchive.net. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
    7. Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Masiero, J.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; et al. (December 2015). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year One: Preliminary Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 814 (2): 13. arXiv:1509.02522. Bibcode:2015ApJ...814..117N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/117.
    8. Pravec, Petr; Harris, Alan W.; Kusnirák, Peter; Galád, Adrián; Hornoch, Kamil (September 2012). "Absolute magnitudes of asteroids and a revision of asteroid albedo estimates from WISE thermal observations". Icarus. 221 (1): 365–387. Bibcode:2012Icar..221..365P. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.026.
    9. Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90.
    10. Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68.
    11. Oey, Julian (January 2016). "Lightcurve Analysis of Asteroids from Blue Mountains Observatory in 2014". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 43 (1): 45–51. Bibcode:2016MPBu...43...45O. ISSN 1052-8091.
    12. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 31 March 2017.

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