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14436 Morishita, provisional designation 1992 FC₂, is a stony background asteroid and exceptionally slow rotator from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter.

It was discovered on 23 March 1992, by Japanese astronomers Kin Endate and Kazuro Watanabe at Kitami Observatory in Japan, and named after amateur astronomer Yoko Morishita.

Orbit and classification

Morishita is a S-type asteroid that orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.0–3.2 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,508 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic. As no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made, the body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation.

Photometry

In October 2010, a rotational lightcurve of Morishita was obtained from photometric observations at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave an exceptionally long rotation period of 972.8 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.82 magnitude, indicative for a non-spheroidal shape (U=2).

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Morishita measures 5.656 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.152, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a shorter diameter of 3.49 kilometers.

Naming

This minor planet was named for Yoko Morishita (born 1947), amateur astronomer and supporter of the Astronomical Society of Shikoku, where she has made many contributions to further the spread of astronomical awareness. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 April 2013 (M.P.C. 83583).

References

1. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 14436 Morishita (1992 FC2)" (2017-06-02 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
2. ^ "LCDB Data for (14436) Morishita". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 15 January 2017.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ 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.
5. ^ Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75.
6. 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.
7. ^ "14436 Morishita (1992 FC2)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
8. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 January 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 (10001)-(15000) – Minor Planet Center
• 14436 Morishita at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 14436 Morishita at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters

• Minor planet object articles (numbered)
• Background asteroids
• Discoveries by Kin Endate
• Discoveries by Kazuro Watanabe
• Named minor planets
• Slow rotating minor planets
• Astronomical objects discovered in 1992