4263 Abashiri, provisional designation 1989 RL2, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. Yanai K. Watanabe |
| Discovery site | Kitami Obs. |
| Discovery date | 7 September 1989 |
| Designations | |
| (4263) Abashiri | |
Named after | Abashiri (Japanese city)[2] |
| 1989 RL2 · 1935 KE 1952 OS · 1969 TS3 1972 OB · 1978 EK 1981 AT1 · 1982 PF 1988 DK5 | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 66.06 yr (24,129 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5445 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9251 AU |
| 2.2348 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1386 |
| 3.34 yr (1,220 days) | |
| 229.15° | |
| 0° 17m42s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.8057° |
| 298.07° | |
| 307.66° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7.17 km (derived)[3] 8.98±0.44km[4] |
| 4.8817±0.0001h[a] 4.8820±0.0002 h[b] 4.88230±0.00008h[c] | |
| 0.200±0.033[4] 0.24 (assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
| 12.7[1] · 12.60[4] · 12.44±0.08 (R)[b] · 12.93±0.094[3][5] | |
The asteroid was discovered on 7 September 1989, by Japanese astronomers Masayuki Yanai and Kazuro WatanabeatKitami Observatory in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan.[6] It was named for the Japanese city of Abashiri.[2]
Abashiri is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,220 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Due to a precovery obtained at Palomar Observatory in 1951, the asteroid's observation arc could be extended by 38 years prior to its discovery.[6]
Abashiri has been characterized as a stony S-type asteroid.[3]
Between 2008 and 2016, three rotational lightcurvesofAbashiri were obtained by Czech astronomer Petr PravecatOndřejov Observatory. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of between 4.8817 and 4.88230 hours with a corresponding brightness variation between 0.11 and 0.42 magnitude (U=3/3).[a][b][c]
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Abashiri measures 9.0 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.20,[4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24, derived from 8 Flora, the Flora family's largest member and namesake, and calculates a somewhat smaller diameter of 7.2 kilometers.[3]
This minor planet was named for the Japanese city of Abashiri, known for its fishing industry. It is located at the Sea of Okhotsk, about 50 kilometers east of Kitami, in the eastern part of the island of Hokkaidō. The minor planets, 3720 Hokkaido and 3785 Kitami are named after the island and city, respectively.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19336).[7]
