Discovered by LINEAR Discovery date 29 April 2000 Alternative names 2000 HM53 · 1994 PZ39 Absolute magnitude 14.73 Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery site Lincoln Lab's ETS MPC designation 32008 Adriángalád Discovered 29 April 2000 Asteroid family Flora family | |
Named after Adrián Galád
(astronomer) Discoverer Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research People also search for 8 Flora, 915 Cosette, 967 Helionape | ||
32008 Adriángalád, provisional designation 2000 HM53, is a binary Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by LINEAR at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site on 29 April 2000. It was named for astronomer Adrián Galád. The moonlet measures approximately 40% of its primary.
Description
The stony 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 1.8–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,185 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at Steward Observatory (Kitt Peak) in 1991, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 9 years prior to its discovery.
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the family's largest member and namesake – and calculates a diameter of 3.07 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 14.73.
A rotational light-curve for this asteroid was obtained by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory in August 2007. The light-curve gave a well-defined rotation period of 3.0171 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.19 in magnitude (U=3).
During the photometric observations it was revealed that Adriángalád is a binary system, with an asteroid moon orbiting it every 7001402400000000000♠40.24±0.02 hours. The moon's size is estimated to measure about 40% of that of its primary, which would give it a diameter of 1.2 kilometers based on CALL's calculations.
The minor planet is named after Slovak astronomer Adrián Galád (b. 1970) a discoverer of minor planets and several binary asteroids himself. He is well known for his photometric observations at both Ondřejov and Modra Observatory. Naming citation was published (M.P.C. 100607).