Discovery date 14 September 1963 Orbits Sun | MPC designation 1997 Leverrier Discovered 14 September 1963 Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Alternative names 1963 RC · 1940 SF1950 TS3 · 1953 QB1973 SX4 · 1973 UF Similar Sun, Solar System, Asteroid belt, 216 Kleopatra, Neptune | ||
1997 Leverrier, provisional designation 1963 RC, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 14 September 1963, by the Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States.
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.8–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,199 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. Leverrier was first identified as 1940 SF at Abastuman Observatory, Georgia. Its first used observation was made at Palomar Observatory in 1950, extending the body's observation arc by 13 years prior to the official discovery observation.
In March 2016, a rotation period was published using data from the Lowell Photometric Database (LPD). Using light-curve inversion and convex shape models, as well as distributed computing power and the help of individual volunteers, a period of 8.015 hours could be obtained for this asteroid from the LPD's sparse-in-time photometry data (U=n.a.).
According to the survey carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, Leverrier measures 6.8 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.166. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.181 and a concurring diameter of 6.8 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 13.3. When using a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, its mean diameter is between 6 and 14 kilometers for an assumed albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.
The minor planet was named after French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier (1811–1877). In 1846, he predicted the existence and position of the planet Neptune by applying the mathematics of celestial mechanics. The Martian and lunar craters Le Verrier are also named in his honor. Its name was suggested by MPC-director Brian G. Marsden, after whom the minor planet 1877 Marsden is named. Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 4237).