68109 Naomipasachoff (

provisional designation Provisional designation in astronomy is the naming convention applied to astronomical objects immediately following their discovery. The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calcu ...

) is a background

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 December 2000, by astronomers of the LONEOS program at the Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States. The asteroid was named after American biographer and research associate, Naomi Pasachoff.

Orbit and classification

Naomipasachoff is a non- family from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the

inner Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...

asteroid belt at a distance of 2.2–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 11 months (1,418 days;

semi-major axis In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the long ...

of 2.47 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 9 ° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with a

precovery In astronomy, precovery (short for pre-discovery recovery) is the process of finding the image of an object in images or photographic plates predating its discovery, typically for the purpose of calculating a more accurate orbit. This happens mos ...

taken at

Lincoln Laboratory ETS The MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense federally funded research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and dev ...

in March 1998, more than 2 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.

Naming

This minor planet was named by LONEOS-astronomer Edward Bowell after American biographer and research associate, Naomi Pasachoff (born 1947), who has written several scientific biographies. Her published work includes biographies of Marie Curie,

Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (, born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He also co-founded the American Telephone and Te ...

, Niels Bohr, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein,

Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling (; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist, biochemist, chemical engineer, peace activist, author, and educator. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific top ...

. She is also an amateur astronomer. The official naming citation was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 6 January 2007 ().

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Naomipasachoff has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's

rotation period The rotation period of a celestial object (e.g., star, gas giant, planet, moon, asteroid) may refer to its sidereal rotation period, i.e. the time that the object takes to complete a single revolution around its axis of rotation relative to the ...

, pole and shape remain unknown.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Naomipasachoff measures 3.581 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.218. Based on its albedo and its location in the inner asteroid belt, Naomipasachoff is possibly a common, stony S-type asteroid.

Orbit and classification

Naming

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

Diameter and albedo

References

External links