Discovered by T.-C. Yang
Q.-Z. Ye MPC designation 145534 Jhongda Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 15.98 Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 1 April 2006 Alternative names 2006 GJ Discovered 1 April 2006 Discovery site Lulin Observatory | |
Named after National Central University (in Taiwan) Discoverers Ye Quanzhi, Ting Chang Yang Similar Asteroid belt, Solar System, Comet Lulin, 25143 Itokawa | ||
145534 Jhongda, provisional designation 2006 GJ, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Taiwanese astronomers Yang Tingzhang and Ye Quanzhi at Lulin Observatory on 1 April 2006.
The C-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.3–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,627 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at Steward Observatory (Kitt Peak) in 1992, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 14 years prior to its discovery.
In January 2014, a rotational light-curve was obtained for this asteroid from photometric observation at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. It gave a rotation period of 7000449000000000000♠4.490±0.040 hours with a brightness variation of 0.67 in magnitude (U=2). The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 3.54 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 15.98.
The minor planet was named after the Taiwanese National Central University, which controls the discovering Lulin Observatory. "Jhongda" is the University's abbreviation in Mandarin Chinese. Naming citation was published on 2 April 2007 (M.P.C. 59389).