Discovered by T. Furuta MPC designation 2478 Tokai Minor planet category main-belt Inclination 4.1375° Discoverer Toshimasa Furuta Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 4 May 1981 Named after Tokai (city) Discovered 4 May 1981 Orbits Sun Discovery site Tōkai observatory Moon S/2007 (2478) 1 | |
Alternative names 1981 JC · 1931 HH
1932 SE · 1934 ED
1939 VH · 1951 JP
1955 OE · 1955 QV
1957 BD · 1972 RS
1978 NU2 · 1979 XR
1981 JT | ||
2478 Tokai, provisionally designated 1981 JC, is a main-belt asteroid discovered on May 4, 1981 by prolific Japanese astronomer Toshimasa Furuta at Tōkai, Aichi. It is named after the city of its discovery.
Since the albedo of this asteroid is unknown, the size can only be estimated as between about 7–15 kilometers, based on the absolute magnitude (H) of 12.
Satellite
Photometric observations in 2007 revealed a ~7+km satellite (lower limit diameter ratio of 0.72) with an orbital period of 25.88 hours.
References
2478 Tokai Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA