18880 Toddblumberg – Wikipedia

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18880 Toddblumberg, provisional designation 1999 XM166, is a background asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 10 December 1999, by LINEAR at the Lincoln Laboratory’s Experimental Test Site, near Socorro, New Mexico, United States.[4] The asteroid was named after Todd Blumberg, a 2003 ISEF contest awardee.[2]

Orbit and classification[edit]

Toddblumberg orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.6–3.8 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,096 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory (DSS) in 1953, extending the body’s observation arc by 46 years prior to its official discovery observation at Socorro.[4]

Although discovered by LINEAR, Toddblumberg is not a near-Earth asteroid. Its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is about double the maximum distance of 1.3 AU that qualifies an asteroid as “near-Earth”.[5]

Physical characteristics[edit]

Diameter and albedo[edit]

According to the survey carried out by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Toddblumberg measures 4.3 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.265.[3]

Lightcurve[edit]

As of 2017, Toddblumberg‘s spectral type and rotation period remain unknown.[1][6]

This minor planet was named for Todd James Blumberg (born 1984), a student at the Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas, who won the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) award for his microbiology project in 2003.[2][7]

Since 2001, hundreds of secondary school students who have won awards at science fairs have had asteroids named after them.[8][9] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 30 August 2004 (M.P.C. 52648).[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f “JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 18880 Toddblumberg (1999 XM166)” (2017-03-09 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). “(18880) Toddblumberg [3.20, 0.19, 9.6]”. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (18880) Toddblumberg, Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2003–2005. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 129. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-34361-5_1427. ISBN 978-3-540-34361-5.
  3. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). “Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters”. The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ…741…68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  4. ^ a b “18880 Toddblumberg (1999 XM166)”. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  5. ^ “NEO Groups”. NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. Archived from the original on 2 February 2002. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  6. ^ “LCDB Data for (18880) Toddblumberg”. Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  7. ^ “2003 Cleveland Intel ISEF Grand Award Winners”. Society for Science and the Public. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  8. ^ “Asteroid inspires winning science project”. Lincoln Laboratory, MIT. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  9. ^ “2003 Award Honorees”. Lincoln Laboratory, MIT. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  10. ^ “MPC/MPO/MPS Archive”. Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 November 2016.

External links[edit]