3352 McAuliffe
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3352 McAuliffe (/məˈkɔːlɪf/), provisional designation 1981 CW, is a rare-type asteroid and suspected binary system, classified as near-Earth object of the Amor group, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 6 February 1981, by American astronomer Norman Thomas at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, United States.[3]
Quick Facts Discovery, Discovered by ...
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | N. G. Thomas |
Discovery site | Anderson Mesa Stn. |
Discovery date | 6 February 1981 |
Designations | |
(3352) McAuliffe | |
Pronunciation | /məˈkɔːlɪf/ |
Named after | Christa McAuliffe (Challenger crew member)[2] |
1981 CW | |
NEO · Amor [1][3] | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 36.34 yr (13,275 days) |
Aphelion | 2.5725 AU |
Perihelion | 1.1855 AU |
1.8790 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.3691 |
2.58 yr (941 days) | |
73.070° | |
0° 22m 57.72s / day | |
Inclination | 4.7727° |
107.37° | |
15.941° | |
Earth MOID | 0.2041 AU · 79.5 LD |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 1.99 km (derived)[4] |
2.2060±0.0003 h[5] 2.2062±0.0002 h[lower-alpha 1] 2.207±0.002 h[6] 2.212±0.002 h[lower-alpha 2] 6 h (dated)[lower-alpha 3] | |
0.18 (assumed)[4] | |
SMASS = A [1] SQ [7] · A [4] | |
15.54±0.1 (R)[lower-alpha 3] · 15.8[1] · 16.00±0.18[7] · 16.068±0.112[4][8] | |
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Originally, this asteroid was the target of the 1998 Deep Space 1 mission, but that mission was eventually rerouted to 9969 Braille.[9] It was named in memory of Challenger crew member Christa McAuliffe.[2]