Discovered by M. Yanai
K. Watanabe MPC designation 3915 Fukushima Discovered 15 August 1988 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 15 August 1988 Minor planet category main-belt · (inner) Absolute magnitude 12.2 Discovery site Kitami Observatory | |
Named after Hisao Fukushima
(amateur astronomer) Alternative names 1988 PA1 · 1926 GQ
1935 UL · 1935 UX
1950 QT · 1975 EX5
1977 TV7 · 1977 TW3
1979 FH1 · 1983 EM Discoverers Kazuro Watanabe, Masayuki Yanai People also search for 5692 Shirao, Sun, 4971 Hoshinohiroba | ||
3915 Fukushima, provisional designation 1988 PA1, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 21 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 August 1988, by Japanese astronomers Masayuki Yanai and Kazuro Watanabe at the Kitami Observatory in eastern Hokkaido, Japan.
The C-type asteroid is also classified as a reddish P-type by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.3–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,391 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.04 and an inclination of 14° with respect to the ecliptic. Fukushima was first identified as "1926 GQ" at Heidelberg Observatory in 1926, extending its observation arc by 62 years prior to its discovery.
Several high-quality rotational light-curves were obtained from photometric observations since 2003. An observation by Brian Warner at the U.S. Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado rendered a rotation period of 7000941799999999999♠9.418±0.001 hours with a high brightness variation of 0.67 in magnitude (U=3), indicating that the body has a non-spherical shape. This observation concurs with another measurement taken at the Oakley Observatory that rendered a period of 7000941000000000000♠9.41±0.01 and an amplitude of 0.50 mag (U=3), superseding a less accurate light-curve produced by the PDS of 8.40 hours (U=2). In 2011, an observation by René Roy gave another concurring period of 7000941770000000000♠9.4177±0.0004 hours and an amplitude of 0.79 mag (U=3). On 16 December 2012, the asteroid occulted the star HIP 4315 over parts of Europe and North America. At the time the body's brightness was 16.3 in magnitude (mag) and that of the star was 8.5 mag.
According to the space-based surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and the NEOWISE mission, the asteroid has a low albedo in the range of 0.044 and 0.056 with a diameter between 20.3 and 22.8 kilometers. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link gives preference to the results obtained by IRAS with an albedo of 0.0561 and a diameter of 20.38 kilometers.
The minor planet was named in honor of Japanese researcher and amateur astronomer, Hisao Fukushima (1910–1997), known for his research in hydrodynamics. He was professor emeritus at Hokkaido University, and, as an active amateur astronomer, a member of the Hokkaido Astronomical Liaison Group. Naming citation was published on 23 December 1988 (M.P.C. 14030).