7959 Alysecherri, provisional designation 1994 PK, is a bright, stony Hungaria asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 2 August 1994, by American astronomer Carl Hergenrother at Steward Observatory's Catalina Station on Mt Bigelow near Tucson, Arizona.[6] The asteroid was named for the discoverer's wife, Alyse Cherri.[2]

7959 Alysecherri
Discovery [1]
Discovered byC. W. Hergenrother
Discovery siteCatalina Stn.
Discovery date2 August 1994
Designations
(7959) Alysecherri
Named after
Alyse Cherri Smith
(wife of discoverer)[2]
1994 PK
main-belt · Hungaria[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc65.30 yr (23,850 days)
Aphelion2.1094 AU
Perihelion1.7760 AU
1.9427 AU
Eccentricity0.0858
2.71 yr (989 days)
169.49°
0° 21m 50.4s / day
Inclination19.263°
235.79°
100.40°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions3.05 km (calculated)[3]
3.161±0.005 h[4]
0.30 (assumed)[3]
E[3]
14.5[1][3] · 15.09±0.63[5]

Orbit and classification

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The E-type asteroid is a member of the Hungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.1 AU once every 2 years and 9 months (989 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 19° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1951, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 43 years prior to its discovery.[6]

Physical characteristics

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A rotational lightcurve for this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations made by American astronomer Brian Warner at the U.S. Palmer Divide Observatory, Colorado, in July 2013. It gave a rotation period of 3.161±0.005 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.13 in magnitude (U=2).[4] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.30 and calculates a diameter of 3.05 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.5.[3]

Naming

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This minor planet is named after the maiden name of the discovering astronomer's wife, Alyse Cherri Smith.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 13 November 2008 (M.P.C. 64311).[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 7959 Alysecherri (1994 PK)" (2017-03-19 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (7959) Alysecherri. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 610. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (7959) Alysecherri". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b Warner, Brian D. (January 2014). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at CS3-Palmer Divide Station: 2013 June- September". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 41 (1): 27–32. Bibcode:2014MPBu...41...27W. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  5. ^ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. S2CID 53493339. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b "7959 Alysecherri (1994 PK)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  7. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
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