46610 Bésixdouze

46610 Bésixdouze (French pronunciation: [be.sis.duːz]; provisional designation 1993 TQ1) is a bright background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 October 1993, by Japanese amateur astronomers Kin Endate and Kazuro Watanabe at the Kitami Observatory in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan.[5] The asteroid was named after "B-612", home of The Little Prince.[2]

Orbit and classification

Bésixdouze is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[3] It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,249 days; semi-major axis of 2.27 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The asteroid was first identified as 1986 RU7 at Crimea–Nauchnij in a single image taken in September 1986.[1][5]

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Bésixdouze measures 2.064 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.262,[4] which is indicative for a stony composition.

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Bésixdouze has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.[1][6]

Naming

The name was suggested by F. Hemery and Jiří Grygar as a reference to the French novella The Little Prince. The title character lived on an asteroid named B-612, which is the number 46610 written in hexadecimal notation. Bésixdouze (French pronunciation: [be.sis.duːz]; "B-six-twelve") is one way to pronounce B-612 in French.[2] Like the asteroid in The Little Prince, Bésixdouze was first observed in a single night, several years before its official discovery.[5]

The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 November 2002 (M.P.C. 47170).[7] It says:

"The decimal number 46610 translates to the hexadecimal B612, the designation of the fictitious minor planet in de St. Exupéry's 1943 novel Le Petit Prince. B612 was allegedly spotted on a single night in 1909 and reported at a meeting in 1920. The name was suggested independently by F. Hémery and J. Grygar."[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 46610 Besixdouze (1993 TQ1)" (2017-11-02 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(46610) Bésixdouze". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (46610) Bésixdouze. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 895. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_10040. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b "Asteroid 46610 Besixdouze – 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 c "46610 Besixdouze (1993 TQ1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  6. ^ "LCDB Data for (46610) Bésixdouze". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  7. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 November 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 (45001)-(50000) – Minor Planet Center
  • 46610 Bésixdouze at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
    • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
  • 46610 Bésixdouze at the JPL Small-Body Database Edit this at Wikidata
    • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters
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Works
Adaptations
  • Adventures of the Little Prince (TV series)
  • Night Flight (1933 film)
  • Courrier sud (1937 film)
  • The Little Prince (1974 film)
  • The Little Prince (2015 film)
  • The Little Prince (opera)
  • The Little Prince (play)
  • The Little Prince and the Aviator
  • R.U.R.U.R.
  • The Adventures of the Little Prince
  • The Little Prince (2010 TV series)
  • Volo di notte
Related
Tributes
  • Category
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
  • JPL SBDB
  • MPC