3325 TARDIS
Shape model of TARDIS from its lightcurve
Discovery [1]
Discovered byB. A. Skiff
Discovery siteAnderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date3 May 1984
Designations
(3325) TARDIS
Named after
TARDIS
(fictional time machine)[2]
1984 JZ · 1958 VB1
1969 TP3 · 1975 VC8
1975 WF1
main-belt [1] · (outer)
Alauda [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc58.56 yr (21,390 days)
Aphelion3.2299 AU
Perihelion3.1397 AU
3.1848 AU
Eccentricity0.0142
5.68 yr (2,076 days)
45.895°
0° 10m 24.24s / day
Inclination22.221°
46.246°
86.099°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
28.238±0.469 km[4]
29.66±1.2 km (IRAS:9)[5]
0.0553±0.005 (IRAS:9)[5]
0.067±0.010[4]
11.5[1]

3325 TARDIS (prov. designation: 1984 JZ) is a dark Alauda asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 29 kilometers (18 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 3 May 1984, by American astronomer Brian Skiff at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station, Arizona, in the United States.[6] The asteroid was named TARDIS, after the fictional time machine and spacecraft from the science fiction television series Doctor Who.[2]

Orbit and classification

TARDIS is a member of the Alauda family (902),[3] a large family of typically bright carbonaceous asteroids and named after its parent body, 702 Alauda.[7]: 23 

It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 3.1–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,076 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.01 and an inclination of 22° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] In 1958 it was first identified as 1958 VB1 at the Goethe Link Observatory, extending the body's observation arc by 26 years prior to its official discovery at Anderson Mesa.[6]

Naming

It is named after the acronym TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), the space and time travel vehicle used by the Doctor in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The fictional time machine looks like a police telephone box from mid-twentieth century Britain.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 11 March 1990 (M.P.C. 16041).[8]

Physical characteristics

According to the survey carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS and NASA's NEOWISE mission, TARDIS measures 28.2 and 29.7 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has a low albedo of 0.055 and 0.067, respectively.[4][5] An albedo between 0.05 and 0.06 is typical for carbonaceous asteroids of the outer main-belt. As of 2016, no rotational lightcurves have been obtained and the asteroid's period and shape still remains unknown.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3325 TARDIS (1984 JZ)" (2017-06-04 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3325) Tardis". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 277. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3326. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b "Asteroid 3325 TARDIS – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. S2CID 119293330. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System. 12: IRAS-A-FPA-3-RDR-IMPS-V6.0. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b "3325 TARDIS (1984 JZ)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  7. ^ 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 9780816532131. S2CID 119280014.
  8. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 May 2016.

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