![]() | |
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | P. Wild |
Discovery site | Zimmerwald Obs. |
Discovery date | 26 September 1983 |
Designations | |
(3552) Don Quixote | |
Named after | Don Quixote fictional character [2] |
1983 SA | |
NEO ·
Amor
[1] Mars-crosser Jupiter-crosser Centaur [3] | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 4 September 2017 ( JD 2458000.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 33.71 yr (12,312 days) |
Aphelion | 7.2783 AU |
Perihelion | 1.2399 AU |
4.2591 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.7089 |
8.79 yr (3,211 days) | |
332.47 ° | |
0° 6m 43.56s / day | |
Inclination | 31.092° |
350.03° | |
316.42° | |
Earth MOID | 0.3338 AU |
Jupiter MOID | 0.4397 AU |
TJupiter | 2.3150 |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 18.4±0.4 km [4] |
7.7 h (0.32 d) [3] [5] | |
0.03 [1] [4] | |
D ( Tholen) · D ( SMASS) | |
11.67 (1957) to 22.32 [a] | |
12.9 | |
3552 Don Quixote, provisionally designated 1983 SA, is an exceptionally eccentric asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Amor group, Mars-crosser and Jupiter-crosser, as well as a weakly active comet.
The asteroid was discovered on 26 September 1983, by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild at Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland. [6] It was named after the comic knight who is the eponymous hero of Cervantes' Spanish novel Don Quixote (1605). [2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 December 1990 ( M.P.C. 17466). [7]
Don Quixote is characterized as a dark D-type asteroid in the Tholen and SMASS taxonomy. [1]
It has a highly inclined comet-like orbit of 31 degrees that leads to frequent perturbations by Jupiter. [8] Don Quixote measures 18.4 kilometres in diameter and has a rotation period of 7.7 hours. [1] [4]
Due to its comet-like orbit and albedo, Don Quixote has been suspected to be an extinct comet. [9] However, infrared observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope at 4.5 μm revealed a faint coma and tail around the object. [4] The cometary activity is inferred by carbon dioxide (CO2) molecular band emission. In March 2018 a tail was observed at visible wavelengths for the first time. [10] The observation of cometary features during two apparitions suggests that cometary activity is recurrent and Don Quixote is most likely a weakly active comet. [11]
![]() | |
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | P. Wild |
Discovery site | Zimmerwald Obs. |
Discovery date | 26 September 1983 |
Designations | |
(3552) Don Quixote | |
Named after | Don Quixote fictional character [2] |
1983 SA | |
NEO ·
Amor
[1] Mars-crosser Jupiter-crosser Centaur [3] | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 4 September 2017 ( JD 2458000.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 33.71 yr (12,312 days) |
Aphelion | 7.2783 AU |
Perihelion | 1.2399 AU |
4.2591 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.7089 |
8.79 yr (3,211 days) | |
332.47 ° | |
0° 6m 43.56s / day | |
Inclination | 31.092° |
350.03° | |
316.42° | |
Earth MOID | 0.3338 AU |
Jupiter MOID | 0.4397 AU |
TJupiter | 2.3150 |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 18.4±0.4 km [4] |
7.7 h (0.32 d) [3] [5] | |
0.03 [1] [4] | |
D ( Tholen) · D ( SMASS) | |
11.67 (1957) to 22.32 [a] | |
12.9 | |
3552 Don Quixote, provisionally designated 1983 SA, is an exceptionally eccentric asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Amor group, Mars-crosser and Jupiter-crosser, as well as a weakly active comet.
The asteroid was discovered on 26 September 1983, by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild at Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland. [6] It was named after the comic knight who is the eponymous hero of Cervantes' Spanish novel Don Quixote (1605). [2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 December 1990 ( M.P.C. 17466). [7]
Don Quixote is characterized as a dark D-type asteroid in the Tholen and SMASS taxonomy. [1]
It has a highly inclined comet-like orbit of 31 degrees that leads to frequent perturbations by Jupiter. [8] Don Quixote measures 18.4 kilometres in diameter and has a rotation period of 7.7 hours. [1] [4]
Due to its comet-like orbit and albedo, Don Quixote has been suspected to be an extinct comet. [9] However, infrared observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope at 4.5 μm revealed a faint coma and tail around the object. [4] The cometary activity is inferred by carbon dioxide (CO2) molecular band emission. In March 2018 a tail was observed at visible wavelengths for the first time. [10] The observation of cometary features during two apparitions suggests that cometary activity is recurrent and Don Quixote is most likely a weakly active comet. [11]