1416 Renauxa, provisional designation 1937 EC, is an Eon asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 29 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 March 1937, by French astronomer Louis Boyer at the Algiers Observatory in Algeria, North Africa.[15] It was named after Joseph Renaux, an astronomer at the discovering observatory.[2][16]
Orbit and classification
Renauxa is a member the Eos family (606),[3][4] the largest asteroid family in the outer main belt consisting of nearly 10,000 asteroids.[17]: 23 It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.3 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,915 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The asteroid was first identified as A914 TB at Heidelberg Observatory in October 1914, where its observation arc begins with its identification as 1919 SC in September 1919, more than 17 years prior to its official discovery observation at Algiers.[15]
Physical characteristics
Renauxa has been characterized as a K-type asteroid,[14] one of the first of such type ever identified and in line with the overall spectral type for members of the Eos family.[17]: 23 In the Tholen classification, it is classified as an S-type asteroid.[1] This is a known misclassification as S- and K-types are identical in the visual part of the spectrum.[14]
Rotation period
In December 2009, a rotational lightcurve of Renauxa was obtained from photometric observations by Richard Durkee at the S.O.S. Observatory (H39). Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 8.700 hours with a low brightness variation of 0.11 magnitude (U=3),[13] superseding previous observation that gave approximately half the period solution (U=1/2).[12][a] A low brightness amplitude is typical for a spherical rather than elongated shape.
^ abcdUsui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
^Véron, Philippe (2016). "Astronomes français 1850-1950, "'Renaux, Joseph"". Dictionnaire des Astronomes Français 1850-1950 (Publié inachevé à titre posthume). Observatoire de Haute-Provence, France. pp. 394–395.