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45737 Benita

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45737 Benita
Discovery [1]
Discovered byB. A. Segal
Discovery siteJupiter Obs.
Discovery date22 April 2000
Designations
(45737) Benita
Named after
Benita Segal [2]
(discoverer's wife)
2000 HB
main-belt · (outer)
background[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc19.41 yr (7,091 days)
Aphelion3.3441 AU
Perihelion3.0485 AU
3.1963 AU
Eccentricity0.0462
5.71 yr (2,087 days)
245.14°
0° 10m 21s / day
Inclination10.197°
181.43°
124.47°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions5.121±1.701 km[4]
0.294±0.080[4]
13.6[1]

45737 Benita (provisional designation 2000 HB) is a bright asteroid located in the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It has an estimated diameter of approximately 5 kilometers. The asteroid was discovered on April 22, 2000, by Bruce Segal, an American amateur astronomer, at the Florida Atlantic University's Jupiter Observatory (837) in Boca Raton, Florida.[1][5]

Orbit and classification

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Benita is a non-family asteroid that belongs to the background population of the main belt.[3] It orbits the Sun in the outer region of the asteroid belt, at a distance of 3.0–3.3 AU. It completes one orbit around the Sun every 5 years and 9 months (2,087 days) with a semi-major axis of approximately 3.20 AU. The orbit of Benita is slightly eccentric, with an eccentricity of 0.05, and it is inclined at an angle of 10° with respect to the ecliptic plane.[1] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Lincoln Laboratory's ETS, New Mexico, on 30 October 1997.[5]

Physical characteristics

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Diameter and albedo

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According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Benita measures 5.121 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.294.[4]

Rotation period

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As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Benita has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.[6]

Naming

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The discoverer named this minor planet after his wife, Benita Segal (born 1964), a major supporter of the observatory.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 November 2002 (M.P.C. 47170).[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 45737 Benita (2000 HB)" (2017-03-30 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(45737) Benita". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (45737) Benita. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 895. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_10039. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b "Asteroid 45737 Benita – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "45737 Benita (2000 HB)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  6. ^ "LCDB Data for (45737) Benita". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  7. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
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