It orbits the Sun in the innermost asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.0 AU once every 2 years and 7 months (941 days; semi-major axis of 1.88 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 25° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with its second of two observations, 1977 RN7 and 1977 SY2, taken at Crimea–Nauchnij September 1977, almost 5 years prior to its official discovery observation at Palomar.[1]
In 2010, Warner also modeled a lightcurve using the data from his various photometric observations. It gave a concurring sidereal period of 2.37219 hours, as well as two spin axes at (45.0°, 45.0°) and (225.0°, 45.0°) in ecliptic coordinates (λ, β).[11]
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Hoag measures between 5.06 and 6.24 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.28 and 0.32.[6][7][8] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.3 – a compromise figure between a stony (0.20) and an E-type (0.40) Hungarian asteroid – and calculates a diameter of 5.56 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 13.2.[3]
This minor planet was named after American astronomer Arthur Hoag (1921–1999), a former director of the Lowell Observatory, known for his photometric research, the development of astronomical sites and instruments, and investigations of quasars.[1] In 1950, he discovered a type of ring galaxy known as Hoag's Object. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 December 1985 (M.P.C. 10311).[18]
^ abLightcurve plot of 3225 Hoag, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2007), with a period of 2.3717±0.0002 hours and an amplitude of 0.12±0.01 mag. Data points 180. Quality code is 3. Summary figures at the LCDB.
^ abcdSpratt, Christopher E. (April 1990). "The Hungaria group of minor planets". Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. 84: 123–131. Bibcode:1990JRASC..84..123S. ISSN0035-872X.
^ abcdMasiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. S2CID46350317.
^ abcWarner, Brian D. (September 2007). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory - December 2006 - March 2007". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 34 (3): 72–77. Bibcode:2007MPBu...34...72W. ISSN1052-8091.
^ abcWaszczak, 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. S2CID8342929.
^ abcWarner, Brian D. (October 2010). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory: 2010 March - June". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 37 (4): 161–165. Bibcode:2010MPBu...37..161W. ISSN1052-8091.
^ abWarner, Brian D. (April 2009). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory: 2008 September-December". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 36 (2): 70–73. Bibcode:2009MPBu...36...70W. ISSN1052-8091.
^ abWarner, Brian D. (October 2015). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at CS3-Palmer Divide Station: 2015 March-June". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 42 (4): 267–276. Bibcode:2015MPBu...42..267W. ISSN1052-8091.
^ abWarner, Brian D. (January 2014). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at CS3-Palmer Divide Station: 2013 June- September". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 41 (1): 27–32. Bibcode:2014MPBu...41...27W. ISSN1052-8091.