1644 Rafita

1644 Rafita, provisional designation 1935 YA, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 15 kilometers in diameter. It is the namesake of the Rafita family, a family of stony asteroids in the intermediate main-belt. However, Rafita is a suspected interloper in its own family.[4]:23 It was discovered on 16 December 1935, by Spanish astronomer Rafael Carrasco Garrorena at the Royal Observatorio Astronómico de Madrid in Spain, and named in memory of the discoverer's son.[2][12]

1644 Rafita
Discovery [1]
Discovered byR. Carrasco
Discovery siteMadrid Obs.
Discovery date16 December 1935
Designations
(1644) Rafita
Named after
Rafael Carrasco
(discoverer's son)[2]
1935 YA · 1939 XA
1941 JB · 1949 JC
1951 VF · 1955 TS
1957 GD · 1959 UD
A906 RB · A916 BA
main-belt · (middle) [3]
Rafita-interloper [4]:23
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc110.53 yr (40,371 days)
Aphelion2.9426 AU
Perihelion2.1539 AU
2.5483 AU
Eccentricity0.1548
4.07 yr (1,486 days)
13.784°
0° 14m 32.28s / day
Inclination7.0193°
270.90°
197.05°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions13.958±0.157 km[5]
15.405±0.072 km[6]
15.48 km (taken)[3]
15.482 km[7]
17.69±1.08 km[8]
5.100±0.002 h[9]
6.800±0.004 h[10]
0.106±0.014[8]
0.1329[7]
0.1403±0.0148[6]
0.164±0.028[5]
Tholen = S [1][3]
B–V = 0.867[1]
U–B = 0.404[1]
11.82[1][6][8] · 11.82±0.21[11] · 11.86±0.02[3][7][9]

    Orbit and classification

    Rafita asteroid orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,486 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Rafita was first observed as A906 RB at Heidelberg Observatory in 1906, extending the body's observation arc by 29 years prior to its official discovery observation.[12]

    Lightcurves

    Rafita's first rotational lightcurve was obtained by American astronomer Alan Harris of JPL in January 1981. It gave a rotation period of 5.100 hours with a brightness variation of 0.31 magnitude (U=2).[9] Photometric observations by French amateur astronomer Laurent Bernasconi in December 2004, gave a period of 6.800 hours and an amplitude of 0.13 magnitude (U=2).[10]

    Diameter and albedo

    According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Rafita measures between 13.96 and 17.69 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.106 and 0.164.[5][6][8] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with Petr Pravec's revised WISE-results, that is an albedo of 0.1329 and a diameter of 15.482 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 11.86.[3][7]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named by the discoverer in honor of his late son, Rafael Carrasco.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 30 January 1964 (M.P.C. 2277).[13]

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    References
    1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1644 Rafita (1935 YA)" (2017-03-24 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
    2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1644) Rafita". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1644) Rafita. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 130. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1645. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. "LCDB Data for (1644) Rafita". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 27 December 2016.
    4. Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families. Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131.
    5. Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
    6. 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.
    7. Pravec, Petr; Harris, Alan W.; Kusnirák, Peter; Galád, Adrián; Hornoch, Kamil (September 2012). "Absolute magnitudes of asteroids and a revision of asteroid albedo estimates from WISE thermal observations". Icarus. 221 (1): 365–387. Bibcode:2012Icar..221..365P. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.026. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
    8. Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. Retrieved 17 October 2019. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
    9. Harris, A. W.; Young, J. W. (October 1989). "Asteroid lightcurve observations from 1979-1981". Icarus. 81 (2): 314–364. Bibcode:1989Icar...81..314H. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(89)90056-0. ISSN 0019-1035. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
    10. Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1644) Rafita". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
    11. 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 27 December 2016.
    12. "1644 Rafita (1935 YA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
    13. Schmadel, Lutz D. "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 221. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7.

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