5010 Amenemhêt is a stony asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter.

5010 Amenemhêt
Discovery [1]
Discovered byC. van Houten
I. van Houten
T. Gehrels
Discovery sitePalomar Obs.
Discovery date24 September 1960
Designations
(5010) Amenemhêt
Pronunciation/ˈæmənəmhɛt/[2]
Named after
Amenemḥēt III
(Pharaoh, 12th Dyn.)[3]
4863 P-L · 1981 EU32
1990 FA1
main-belt · (middle)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc61.77 yr (22,563 days)
Aphelion3.2675 AU
Perihelion2.1604 AU
2.7140 AU
Eccentricity0.2040
4.47 yr (1,633 days)
35.377°
0° 13m 13.44s / day
Inclination14.660°
173.36°
43.103°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions9.40 km (calculated)[4]
3.2 h[5]
3.390±0.002 h[6]
0.20 (assumed)[4]
SMASS = S[1] · S[4][7]
12.5[1][4] · 12.67±0.42[7]

It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at the U.S Palomar Observatory, California, and assigned the provisional designation 4863 P-L.[8] It was later named after the Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhět III.[3]

Orbit and classification

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Amenemhêt orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,633 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.20 and an inclination of 15° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Its observation arc already begins in 1955, due to precoveries taken at the U.S. Goethe Link Observatory in Indiana.[8]

Physical characteristics

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In the SMASS taxonomic scheme, Amenemhêt is classified as a common stony asteroid with a S-type spectrum. It has also been characterized as a S-type by Pan-STARRS' large-scale survey.[7]

Lightcurve

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A rotational lightcurve was obtained through photometric observations at the Serbian Belgrade Astronomical Observatory in May 2008. Lightcurve analysis showed a period of 3.390 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.18 magnitude (U=3-),[6] superseding a previous lightcurve from two South-American observatories (U=1).[5]

Diameter and albedo

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The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 9.4 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.5.[4]

Palomar–Leiden survey

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The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope – also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope – and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.[9]

Naming

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This minor planet was named after the Egyptian pharaoh Amenemhět III (1844–1797 B.C.), who built the Great Canal (Mer-Wer) and brought prosperity to the Faiyum Oasis by linking it with the Nile. The area then became a breadbasket for the country. At the Hawara site in Faiyum, he built a mortuary temple, which the Greek historian Herodotus referred to as "labyrinth". Amenemhět's father was the pharaoh Sesostris III (also see the minor planets 4414 Sesostris and 3092 Herodotus).[3] The official naming citation was published on 1 September 1993 (M.P.C. 22505).[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5010 Amenemhet (4863 P-L)" (2017-05-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
  2. ^ As "Amun". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. -m- hêt
  3. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(5010) Amenemhět". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (5010) Amenemhět. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 431. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_4881. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  4. ^ a b c d e "LCDB Data for (5010) Amenemhet". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b Angeli, C. A.; Guimarã; es, T. A.; Lazzaro, D.; Duffard, R.; Fernández, S.; et al. (April 2001). "Rotation Periods for Small Main-Belt Asteroids From CCD Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. 121 (4): 2245–2252. Bibcode:2001AJ....121.2245A. doi:10.1086/319936. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b Benishek, Vladimir; Protitch-Benishek, Vojislava (April 2009). "CCD Photometry of Asteroids at the Belgrade Astronomical Observatory: 2008 January-September". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 36 (2): 35–37. Bibcode:2009MPBu...36...35B. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  8. ^ a b "5010 Amenemhet (4863 P-L)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  10. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
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