Discovered by P. Jensen MPC designation (6002) 1988 RO Observation arc 62.62 yr (22,871 days) Orbits Sun Discovery site Brorfelde Observatory | Discovery date 8 September 1988 Alternative names 1988 RO Discovered 8 September 1988 Discoverer Poul Jensen Asteroid group Jupiter trojan | |
Minor planet category Jupiter trojan
(Trojan camp) People also search for Sun, 10048 Grönbech, (26816) 1986 TS | ||
(6002) 1988 RO is a carbonaceous Jupiter trojan from the Trojan camp, approximately 41 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 September 1988, by Danish astronomer Poul Jensen at the Brorfelde Observatory near Holbæk, Denmark.
The dark C-type Jovian asteroid resides in Jupiter's L5 Lagrangian point (Trojan camp), which lies 60° behind the gas giant's orbit. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.7–5.7 AU once every 11 years and 11 months (4,358 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 16° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1953, extending the body's observation arc by 35 years prior to its discovery.
In February 1993, the Trojan asteroid was observed by astronomers Stefano Mottola and Mario Di Martino with the ESO 1-metre telescope and its DLR MkII CCD-camera at La Silla in Chile. The photometric observations were used to build a light-curve showing a rotation period of 7001129180000000000♠12.918±0.022 hours with a brightness variation of 6999180000000000000♠0.18±0.01 magnitude (U=3-). It was the body's first ever determined rotation period in literature.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the Trojan asteroid measures 40.4 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.075. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 42.2 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 10.6.
On the night this minor planet was discovered at Brorfelde Observatory, Poul Jensen also discovered the Jupiter trojan (5119) 1988 RA1, the 12-kilometer size main-belt asteroid (9840) 1988 RQ2, as well as (12689) 1988 RO2, (14364) 1988 RM2, (14837) 1988 RN2, and (24664) 1988 RB1, all main-belt asteroids of inner, middle and outer region of the asteroid belt, respectively.