9912 Donizetti

9912 Donizetti, provisional designation 2078 T-3, is a stony Rafita asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 km in diameter. It was discovered during the third Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey in 1977, and named after Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti.

9912 Donizetti

Orbit of Donizetti (blue) with the inner planets and Jupiter (outermost)
Discovery [1]
Discovered by	C. J. van Houten I. van Houten-G. T. Gehrels
Discovery site	Palomar Obs.
Discovery date	16 October 1977
Designations
MPC designation	(9912) Donizetti
Named after	Gaetano Donizetti (Italian composer)[2]
Alternative designations	2078 T-3 · 1979 BH1 1989 SJ10
Minor planet category	main-belt · (middle) · Rafita [3][4]: 23
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	39.66 yr (14,486 days)
Aphelion	2.9466 AU
Perihelion	2.1790 AU
Semi-major axis	2.5628 AU
Eccentricity	0.1498
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.10 yr (1,499 days)
Mean anomaly	61.175°
Mean motion	0° 14m 24.72s / day
Inclination	7.2616°
Longitude of ascending node	344.18°
Argument of perihelion	227.50°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	6.54 km (calculated)[5] 6.922±0.310 km[6][7]
Synodic rotation period	6.228±0.0018 h (R)[8] 6.230±0.0018 h (R)[8]
Geometric albedo	0.20 (assumed)[5] 0.255±0.043[6][7]
Spectral type	S [5][9]
Absolute magnitude (H)	12.838±0.003 (R)[8] · 12.9[1][6] · 12.903±0.003 (R)[8] · 13.08±0.35[9] · 13.29[5]

Discovery

Donizetti was discovered on 16 October 1977, by the Dutch astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten, on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in California, United States.^[10]

Trojan survey

The survey designation "T-3" stands for the third and last Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey, named after the fruitful collaboration of the Palomar and Leiden Observatory in the 1960s and 1970s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand asteroids.^[11]

Orbit and classification

It orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,499 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1]

The body's observation arc begins at the discovering Palomar Observatory on 7 October 1977, just 9 days prior to its official discovery observation.^[10]

Rafita family

Donizetti is a stony member of the Rafita family, which is located in the central main-belt just beyond the 3:1 mean-motion orbital resonance with Jupiter. The family consists of more than a thousand members, the largest being 1658 Innes and 1587 Kahrstedt, approximately 14 and 15 km in diameter, respectively. The family's namesake, 1644 Rafita, is considered an interloper to the family itself.^[4]: 23

Physical characteristics

Donizetti has been characterized as a stony S-type asteroid by Pan-STARRS photometric survey.^[5][9]

Rotation period

In October 2010, a rotational lightcurve of Donizetti was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band at the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 6.228 hours with a brightness variation of 0.19 magnitude (U=2).^[8]

In December 2011, PTF obtained a second lightcurve, also in the R-band, that gave a concurring period of 6.230 hours and a higher amplitude of 0.32 magnitude.(U=2).^[8]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Donizetti measures 6.922 km in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.255.^[6][7]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 6.54 km based on an absolute magnitude of 13.29.^[5]

Naming

This minor planet was named for Italian composer of symphonies, church and chamber music and operas, Gaetano Donizetti (1797–1848).^[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 April 1999 (M.P.C. 34356).^[12]

References

1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 9912 Donizetti (2078 T-3)" (2017-06-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(9912) Donizetti". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 713. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_7751. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
3. Broz, M.; Morbidelli, A.; Bottke, W. F.; Rozehnal, J.; Vokrouhlický, D.; Nesvorný, D. (March 2013). "Constraining the cometary flux through the asteroid belt during the late heavy bombardment". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 551: 16. arXiv:1301.6221. Bibcode:2013A&A...551A.117B. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219296.
4. Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 978-0-8165-3213-1.
5. "LCDB Data for (9912) Donizetti". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 23 June 2017.
6. Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90.
7. 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 23 June 2017.
8. Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
9. 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. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
10. "9912 Donizetti (2078 T-3)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
11. "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
12. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 23 June 2017.

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (5001)-(10000) – Minor Planet Center
• 9912 Donizetti at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 9912 Donizetti at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters