Discovered by E. W. Elst MPC designation 12838 Adamsmith Observation arc 29.27 yr (10,690 days) Orbits Sun Named after Adam Smith Discovery site La Silla Observatory | Discovery date 9 March 1997 Minor planet category main-belt · Koronis Discovered 9 March 1997 Discoverer Eric Walter Elst Asteroid family Koronis family | |
Alternative names 1997 EL55 · 1987 DX6
1997 HO14 · 1999 RX2 Similar Sun, 208 Lacrimosa, 277 Elvira, 9916 Kibirev, 532 Herculina | ||
12838 Adamsmith, provisional designation 1997 EL55, is a stony Koronis asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, about 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Belgian astronomer Eric Walter Elst at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile, on 9 March 1997.
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Koronis family, a group consisting of about 200 known bodies. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 11 months (1,791 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at the discovering observatory in 1987, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 10 years prior to its discovery.
A rotational light-curve was obtained from photometric observation made at the U.S. Palomar Transient Factory, California, in January 2011. It shows a rotation period of 7001109090000000000♠10.9090±0.0031 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.48 in magnitude (U=2). The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.24 and calculates a diameter of 6.2 kilometers.
The minor planet was named for the father of modern economics Adam Smith (1723–1790), Scottish moral philosopher and principal figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. Known for his works The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776), he introduced the concept of the division of labour which represents a qualitative increase in productivity, and suggested that self-interest and competition can lead to economic prosperity. Naming citation was published 30 July 2007 (M.P.C. 60299).