3122 Florence
Near-Earth asteroid with 2 moons / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3122 Florence is a stony[10] trinary[20] asteroid of the Amor group. It is classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid. It measures approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.0–2.5 AU once every 2 years and 4 months (859 days); the orbit has an eccentricity of 0.42 and an inclination of 22° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Florence has two moons.
![]() Arecibo radar imaging of 3122 Florence orbited by two minor-planet moons on 4 September 2017 | |
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Schelte J. "Bobby" Bus |
Discovery site | Siding Spring Obs. |
Discovery date | 2 March 1981 (43 years ago) (1981-03-02) |
Designations | |
(3122) Florence | |
Pronunciation | /ˈflɒrəns/[2] |
Named after | Florence Nightingale [3] (English nurse) |
1981 ET3 · 1983 CN1 | |
Amor · NEO · PHA [1][4] | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 38.52 yr (14,069 days) |
Aphelion | 2.5180 AU |
Perihelion | 1.0203 AU |
1.7691 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.4233 |
2.35 yr (859 days) | |
351.44° | |
0° 25m 8.04s / day | |
Inclination | 22.151° |
336.10° | |
27.847° | |
Known satellites | 2 |
Earth MOID | 0.0443 AU · 17.3 LD |
Physical characteristics | |
4.010±1.237 km[5] 4.349 km[6] 4.35 km (taken)[7][8] 4.401±0.030 km[9] 4.9 km[1] | |
Mean density | 1.4 g/cm3 [10] |
2.3580±0.0002 h[11] 2.3581 h[12][lower-alpha 1] 2.3582±0.0003 h[13] 2.3588±0.0008 h[10] 2.359±0.001 h[14] 2.359±0.003 h[15] 5±1 h[16] | |
0.146[6] 0.21±0.20[17] 0.231±0.049[9][18] 0.258±0.199[5] | |
SMASS = S [1][7] · Sq [19] | |
13.87±0.1 (R)[lower-alpha 1] · 14.0[9] · 14.04±0.1 (R)[lower-alpha 1] · 14.1[1] · 14.515±0.11[6][7] · 14.65±0.11[16] · 14.65±0.3[5] | |
Florence was discovered on 2 March 1981 by American astronomer Schelte J. "Bobby" Bus at Siding Spring Observatory.[4] Its provisional designation was 1981 ET3. It was named in honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing;[3] the naming citation was published on 6 April 1993 (M.P.C. 21955).[21]
Florence is classified as a potentially hazardous object because its minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID ≤ 0.05 AU) indicates that it has the potential to make close approaches to the Earth, and because measurements of its absolute magnitude (H ≤ 22) suggest that it is large enough to create serious damage were it to impact.[1][22]