Discovered by J. W. Young MPC designation 116903 Jeromeapt Alternative names 2004 GW · 2001 RS104 Discovered 11 April 2004 Discoverer James Whitney Young People also search for (206462) 2003 TN10 | Discovery date 11 April 2004 Named after Jerome Apt (astronaut) Minor planet category main-belt Absolute magnitude 17.3 Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Discovery site Table Mountain Observatory | ||
116903 Jeromeapt, provisional designation 2004 GW, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 1 kilometer in diameter. It was discovered on 11 April 2004, by American astronomer James Whitney Young at the U.S. Table Mountain Observatory near Wrightwood, California.
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,401 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at Steward Observatory in 2002, extending the asteroid's observation arc by more than 2 years prior to its discovery. As of 2016, the asteroid's effective size, its composition and albedo, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.
Based on an absolute magnitude of 17.3, the asteroid is calculated to measure between 1 and 2 kilometers in diameter, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25. Since asteroids in the inner main-belt are often of a silicaceous rather than of a carbonaceous composition, with higher albedos, typically around 0.20, the asteroid's diameter might be on the lower end of NASA's published conversion table, as the higher the body's reflectivity (albedo), the smaller its diameter at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).
The minor planet is named in honor of American Jerome Apt (b. 1949), who was the discovering observatory's director and also an astronaut on 4 Space Shuttle missions in the 1990s. At the time of naming this asteroid, he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Naming citation was published 29 October 2012 (M.P.C. 81070).