6144 Kondojiro

Updated on Dec 20, 2024

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Discovered by K. Endate, K. Watanabe Observation arc 22150 days (60.64 yr) Orbits Sun Discovery site Kitami Observatory MPC designation 6144		Discovery date 14 March 1994 Discovered 14 March 1994 Named after Jiro Kondo Asteroid group Asteroid belt

Alternative names 1994 EQ3, 1937 JF, 1937 JQ, 1984 FW1 Minor planet category Jupiter-crosser asteroid Aphelion 6.47345 AU (968.414 Gm) (Q) Discoverers Kin Endate, Kazuro Watanabe

6144 Kondojiro (1994 EQ₃) is an asteroid discovered on March 14, 1994 by Kin Endate and Kazuro Watanabe at the Kitami Observatory in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan. It is named after Jiro Kondo, a Japanese Egyptologist and professor of archaeology at Waseda University.

Orbit and classification

The orbit of 6144 Kondojiro is unusual for a number of reasons, including:

An eccentricity greater than 0.3,

A semi-major axis between that of an outer main-belt asteroid (3.2 AU < a < 4.6 AU) and a Jupiter trojan (4.6 AU < a < 5.5 AU),

A relatively low inclination for a Jupiter-crossing minor planet, and

A lack of proper orbital elements due to recurring perturbations by Jupiter.

It is difficult to classify an object with such a peculiar orbit using a conventional definition. Despite this, the Minor Planet Center (MPC) lists it as a main-belt asteroid, even though both the orbital and physical properties of 6144 Kondojiro suggest that it may be an extinct comet rather than a true asteroid.

References

6144 Kondojiro Wikipedia

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