46610 Bésixdouze
Discovery [1]
Discovered byK. Endate
K. Watanabe
Discovery siteKitami Obs.
Discovery date15 October 1993
Designations
(46610) Bésixdouze
PronunciationFrench pronunciation: [be.sis.duːz]
Named after
Asteroid B-612 [2]
(home of The Little Prince)
1993 TQ1 · 1986 RU7
2000 VV32
main-belt [1] · {(inner)
background [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc31.55 yr (11,525 days)
Aphelion2.6816 AU
Perihelion1.8581 AU
2.2698 AU
Eccentricity0.1814
3.42 yr (1,249 days)
52.86°
0° 17m 17.52s / day
Inclination2.4053°
172.13°
211.83°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions2.064±0.499 km[4]
0.262±0.054[4]
15.4[1]

    46610 Bésixdouze (French pronunciation: [be.sis.duːz]), provisional designation 1993 TQ1, is a bright background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 October 1993, by Japanese amateur astronomers Kin Endate and Kazuro Watanabe at the Kitami Observatory in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan.[5] The asteroid was named after "B-612", home of The Little Prince.[2]

    Orbit and classification

    Bésixdouze is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[3] It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,249 days; semi-major axis of 2.27 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

    The asteroid was first identified as 1986 RU7 at Crimea–Nauchnij in a single image taken in September 1986.[1][5]

    Physical characteristics

    Diameter and albedo

    According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Bésixdouze measures 2.064 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.262,[4] which is indicative for a stony composition.

    Rotation period

    As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Bésixdouze has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.[1][6]

    Naming

    The name was suggested by F. Hemery and Jiří Grygar as a reference to the French novella The Little Prince. The title character lived on an asteroid named B-612, which is the number 46610 written in hexadecimal notation. Bésixdouze (French pronunciation: [be.sis.duːz]; "B-six-twelve") is one way to pronounce B-612 in French.[2] Like the asteroid in The Little Prince, Bésixdouze was first observed in a single night, several years before its official discovery.[5]

    The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 November 2002 (M.P.C. 47170).[7] It says:

    "The decimal number 46610 translates to the hexadecimal B612, the designation of the fictitious minor planet in de St. Exupéry's 1943 novel Le Petit Prince. B612 was allegedly spotted on a single night in 1909 and reported at a meeting in 1920. The name was suggested independently by F. Hémery and J. Grygar."[1]

    See also

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 46610 Besixdouze (1993 TQ1)" (2017-11-02 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
    2. 1 2 3 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(46610) Bésixdouze". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (46610) Bésixdouze. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 895. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_10040. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. 1 2 "Asteroid 46610 Besixdouze – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
    4. 1 2 3 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. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
    5. 1 2 3 "46610 Besixdouze (1993 TQ1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
    6. ↑ "LCDB Data for (46610) Bésixdouze". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 7 April 2018.
    7. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
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