David Hughes is a Mars-crossing asteroid, a member of the dynamically unstable group, located between the main belt and near-Earth populations, and crossing the orbit of Mars at 1.666 AU. It orbits the Sun inside the innermost region of the asteroid belt at a distance of 1.5–2.0 AU once every 2 years and 3 months (829 days; semi-major axis of 1.73 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 16° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] On 12 October 2026 it will pass 4,341,000 km; 2,698,000 mi (0.02902 AU) from Mars. Another close Martian approach will occur at a similar distance on 24 November 2103.[2]
In August 2012, a rotational lightcurve of David Hughes was obtained from photometric observations by Italian amateur astronomers Roberto Crippa and Federico Manzini at the Sozzago Astronomical Station (A12). Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of at least 24 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.25 magnitude (U=2-).[3] Most asteroids have a period shorter than 20 hours (also see List of slow rotators).
Diameter and albedo
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 3.92 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.4.[3]
