| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. J. Bus |
| Discovery site | Siding Spring Obs. |
| Discovery date | 2 March 1981 |
| Designations | |
| (4659) Roddenberry | |
Named after | Gene Roddenberry [1] (American screenwriter) |
| 1981 EP20 · 1979 SY7 1979 TO1 | |
| main-belt [1][2] · (inner) Nysa [3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 41.19 yr (15,044 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.9019 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8408 AU |
| 2.3714 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2237 |
| 3.65 yr (1,334 d) | |
| 188.19° | |
| 0° 16m 11.64s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.4668° |
| 19.633° | |
| 5.1337° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 3.56 km (derived)[3] 3.622±0.601 km[5][6] |
| 12 h (poor)[7] | |
| 0.193±0.065[5][6] 0.20 (assumed)[3] | |
| S (assumed)[3] | |
| 14.4[2] 14.61[3][6][7] 14.78±0.28[8] | |
4659 Roddenberry, provisional designation 1981 EP20, is a Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 2 March 1981, by American astronomer Schelte Bus at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia.[1] The likely S-type asteroid has an unsecured rotation period of 12 hours.[3] It was named for American screenwriter Gene Roddenberry.[1]
Roddenberry is a core member of the Nysa family (405),[3][4] a very large family of stony asteroids, alternatively known as Herta family. It is part of the Nysa–Polana complex, the largest grouping of asteroids in the main-belt. The complex is typically further divided into subfamilies with different spectral properties.[9]: 23
The asteroid orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,334 days; semi-major axis of 2.37 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in February 1977, or four years prior to its official discovery observation at Siding Spring.[1]
Roddenberry is an assumed stony S-type asteroid, typical for core members of the Nysa family and in agreement with its high albedo (see below).[3]
In the 1990s, a fragmentary rotational lightcurve of Roddenberry was obtained from photometric observations by Richard Binzel. Lightcurve analysis gave a highly uncertain rotation period of 12 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.14 magnitude (U=1). As of 2018, no secure period has been obtained.[3][7]
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Roddenberry measures 3.622 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.193,[5][6] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20, and derives a diameter of 3.56 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.61.[3]
This minor planet was named in memory of famous American screenwriter, producer and futurist, Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991), known for the Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation television series, and for the Star Trek film franchise.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 18 February 1992 (M.P.C. 19698).[10]
