4217 Engelhardt, provisional designation 1988 BO2, is a stony Phocean asteroid and a potentially binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 January 1988, by American astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory in California, and later named after German mineralogist Wolf von Engelhardt.[12]
It was first identified as 1944 RL at Turku Observatory in 1944, extending the body's observation arc by 44 years prior to its official discovery observation at Palomar.[12] It will pass about 0.0017 AU (250,000 km) from Earth threatening asteroid (29075) 1950 DA in 2736.[13]
Physical characteristics
Lightcurves
In November 2004, a rotational lightcurve of Engelhardt was obtained from photometric observations by American astronomer Brian Warner at this Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado.[a] Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 3.066 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.16 magnitude (U=3).[10]
In December 2011, a follow-up observation by Warner gave a period of 3.0661 hours with 0.18 amplitude (U=3).[5] Due to a couple of supposed occultation and eclipsing events, Warner also suspects that Engelhardt might by a binary system with a minor-planet moon orbiting it every 36.03 hours. The result, however, is far from conclusive.[a]
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Engelhardt measures between 7.34 and 9.16 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between and 0.231 and 0.37.[7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.2489 and a diameter of 9.24 kilometers with on an absolute magnitude of 12.3.[3]
Naming
Baltic German geologist and mineralogist Wolf von Engelhardt (1910–2008), expert on impact craters and related mineral metamorphism. He was a professor at the University of Tübingen and a longtime director of its Institute of Mineralogy and Petrography.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 June 1991 (M.P.C. 18456).[14]
Notes
^ abcdLightcurve plot of (4217) Engelhardt, at the Palmer Divide Observatory, by B. D. Warner (2011). The first plot gives a rotation period of 3.0661 hours. The second plot has that period subtracted and gives a possible orbital period of 36.03 hours for the presumed satellite.