6223 Dahl
Track of Dahl next to NGC 772 with two supernovae
Discovery [1]
Discovered byA. Mrkos
Discovery siteKleť Obs.
Discovery date3 September 1980
Designations
(6223) Dahl
Named after
Roald Dahl
(Welsh author)[2]
1980 RD1 · 1949 XC
1972 YS · 1976 UV3
1982 BH9 · 1991 AK3
main-belt · (middle)
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc67.02 yr (24,479 days)
Aphelion3.0674 AU
Perihelion2.4039 AU
2.7356 AU
Eccentricity0.1213
4.52 yr (1,653 days)
38.698°
0° 13m 4.08s / day
Inclination3.8564°
294.31°
76.334°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions16.81 km (calculated)[3]
19.634±0.326 km[4][5]
3.33±0.01 h[6]
0.033±0.004[5]
0.0335±0.0040[4]
0.057 (assumed)[3]
C [3]
12.6[1][3][4]

6223 Dahl, provisional designation 1980 RD1, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 18 kilometres in diameter. It was discovered on 3 September 1980, by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at Kleť Observatory near České Budějovice in the Czech Republic.[7] The asteroid was named after author of children's books, Roald Dahl.[2]

Orbit and classification

Dahl orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.4–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,653 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at the US Goethe Link Observatory in 1949, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 31 years prior to its discovery.[7]

Physical characteristics

Dahl has been characterised as a dark, carbonaceous C-type asteroid.[3]

Lightcurves

In November 2011, a rotational lightcurve of Dahl was obtained by Brett Waller at the Cedar Green Observatory in Virginia in the United States. It gave a rotation period of 3.33±0.01 hours with a brightness variation of 0.43 in magnitude (U=2).[6]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Dahl measures 19.6 kilometres in diameter and its surface has a low albedo of 0.034,[4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 16.8 kilometres, as the higher the albedo (reflectivity), the lower a body's diameter for certain absolute magnitude.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named in memory of the Welsh author Roald Dahl (1916–1990), known for his classic children's books Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 28 August 1996 (M.P.C. 27735).[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 6223 Dahl (1980 RD1)" (2016-12-21 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(6223) Dahl". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (6223) Dahl. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 519. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_5731. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (6223) Dahl". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d 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. S2CID 35447010. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  5. ^ a b 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. S2CID 118745497. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b Waller, E. Brett (April 2013). "Lightcurve Photometry and Rotational Periods of 2890 Vilyujsk and 6223 Dahl". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 40 (2): 109–110. Bibcode:2013MPBu...40..109W. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  7. ^ a b "6223 Dahl (1980 RD1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  8. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

External links

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