Discovered by C. Shoemaker MPC designation 4082 Swann Discovered 27 September 1984 Orbits Sun Discovery site Palomar Observatory | Discovery date 27 September 1984 Minor planet category main-belt · (inner) Absolute magnitude 12.9 Discoverer Carolyn S. Shoemaker Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Named after Gordon A. Swann
(geologist) Alternative names 1984 SW3 · 1947 UF
1969 PE Similar Sun, 5381 Sekhmet, 3554 Amun, Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9, 129P/Shoemaker–Levy | ||
4082 Swann, provisional designation 1984 SW3, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory on 27 September 1984.
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.8–3.0 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,349 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.26 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic. First identified as "1947 UF" at the Finnish Turku Observatory in 1947, the asteroid's observation arc was extended by 37 years prior to its discovery.
The C-type asteroid is classified as a Ch-subtype in the SMASS taxonomy. According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 9.5 and 11.1 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.029 and 0.101, respectively. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link, however, assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and derives a much smaller diameter of 5.85 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 13.46.
In July 2006, a rotational light-curve for this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations by Petr Pravec at the Ondřejov Observatory in the Czech Republic. It gave a rotation period of 7000403632000000000♠4.03632±0.00009 hours with a brightness variation of 0.67 magnitude (U=3). A second light-curve obtained by Jean-Gabriel Bosch in September 2006, gave a period of 7000409999999999999♠4.1±0.1 hours and an amplitude of 0.35 magnitude (U=2).
The minor planet was named after American geologist Gordon A. Swann (b. 1931). He served as the principal investigator of the "Apollo Lunar Geologic Experiment" conducted at the lunar landing sites of Apollo 14 and Apollo 15. Naming citation was published on 12 December 1989 (M.P.C. 15576).