Discovered by LONEOS MPC designation 15017 Cuppy Minor planet category main-belt · (inner) Absolute magnitude 15.6 Discoverer Edward L. G. Bowell Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 22 September 1998 Alternative names 1998 SS25 Discovered 22 September 1998 Orbits Sun Discovery site Anderson Mesa Station | |
 | ||
Named after Will Cuppy
(humorist, literary critic) | ||
15017 Cuppy, provisional designation 1998 SS25, is a small asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by the U.S. Lowell Observatory Near-Earth-Object Search (LONEOS) at its Anderson Mesa Station, Arizona, on 22 September 1998.
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,296 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1991, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 7 years prior to its discovery. As of 2016, its effective size, composition and albedo, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 1.8 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.50. Based on an absolute magnitude of 15.6, the asteroid is calculated to measure between 2 and 5 kilometers in diameter, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.
In September 2003, the minor planet was named in memory of American literary critic and humorist, Will Cuppy (1884–1949). He is known for his satirical books The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody, How to Attract the Wombat, How to Become Extinct and How to Tell Your Friends from the Apes. The name was proposed by M. Walter. Naming citation was published on 10 September 2003 (M.P.C. 49675).