4659 Roddenberry

4659 Roddenberry, provisional designation Template:Mp, is a Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately Template:Convert in diameter. It was discovered on 2 March 1981, by American astronomer Schelte Bus at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia.<ref name="MPC-object" /> The likely S-type asteroid has an unsecured rotation period of 12 hours.<ref name="lcdb" /> It was named for American screenwriter Gene Roddenberry.<ref name="MPC-object" />

Orbit and classification

Roddenberry is a core member of the Nysa family (Template:Small),<ref name="lcdb" /><ref name="Ferret" /> a very large family of stony asteroids, alternatively known as Herta family. It is part of the Nysa–Polana complex, the largest grouping of asteroids in the main-belt. The complex is typically further divided into subfamilies with different spectral properties.<ref name="Nesvorny-2014" />Template:Rp

The asteroid orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,334 days; semi-major axis of 2.37 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.<ref name="jpldata" /> The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in February 1977, or four years prior to its official discovery observation at Siding Spring.<ref name="MPC-object" />

Physical characteristics

Roddenberry is an assumed stony S-type asteroid, typical for core members of the Nysa family and in agreement with its high albedo (see below).<ref name="lcdb" />

Rotation period

In the 1990s, a fragmentary rotational lightcurve of Roddenberry was obtained from photometric observations by Richard Binzel. Lightcurve analysis gave a highly uncertain rotation period of 12 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.14 magnitude (Template:Small). As of 2018, no secure period has been obtained.<ref name="lcdb" /><ref name="Binzel-1992b" />

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Roddenberry measures 3.622 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.193,<ref name="Masiero-2011" /><ref name="WISE" /> while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20, and derives a diameter of 3.56 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.61.<ref name="lcdb" />

Naming

This minor planet was named in memory of famous American screenwriter, producer and futurist, Gene Roddenberry (1921–1991), known for the Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation television series, and for the Star Trek film franchise.<ref name="MPC-object" /> The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 18 February 1992 (Template:Small).<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive" />

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Template:Webarchive)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
• Template:AstDys
• Template:JPL small body