3122 Florence

3122 Florence
Arecibo radar imaging of 3122 Florence orbited by two minor-planet moons on 4 September 2017
Discovery [1]
Discovered bySchelte J. "Bobby" Bus
Discovery siteSiding Spring Obs.
Discovery date2 March 1981
(43 years ago) (1981-03-02)
Designations
(3122) Florence
Pronunciation/ˈflɒrəns/[2]
Named after
Florence Nightingale [3]
(English nurse)
1981 ET3 · 1983 CN1
Amor · NEO · PHA [1][4]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc38.52 yr (14,069 days)
Aphelion2.5180 AU
Perihelion1.0203 AU
1.7691 AU
Eccentricity0.4233
2.35 yr (859 days)
351.44°
0° 25m 8.04s / day
Inclination22.151°
336.10°
27.847°
Known satellites2
Earth MOID0.0443 AU · 17.3 LD
Physical characteristics
4.010±1.237 km[5]
4.349 km[6]
4.35 km (taken)[7][8]
4.401±0.030 km[9]
4.9 km[1]
Mean density
1.4 g/cm3 [10]
2.3580±0.0002 h[11]
2.3581 h[12][a]
2.3582±0.0003 h[13]
2.3588±0.0008 h[10]
2.359±0.001 h[14]
2.359±0.003 h[15]
5±1 h[16]
0.146[6]
0.21±0.20[17]
0.231±0.049[9][18]
0.258±0.199[5]
SMASS = S [1][7] · Sq [19]
13.87±0.1 (R)[a] · 14.0[9] · 14.04±0.1 (R)[a] · 14.1[1] · 14.515±0.11[6][7] · 14.65±0.11[16] · 14.65±0.3[5]

3122 Florence is a stony[10] trinary[20] asteroid of the Amor group. It is classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid. It measures approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.0–2.5 AU once every 2 years and 4 months (859 days); the orbit has an eccentricity of 0.42 and an inclination of 22° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Florence has two moons.

Florence was discovered on 2 March 1981 by American astronomer Schelte J. "Bobby" Bus at Siding Spring Observatory.[4] Its provisional designation was 1981 ET3. It was named in honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing;[3] the naming citation was published on 6 April 1993 (M.P.C. 21955).[21]

Florence is classified as a potentially hazardous object because its minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID ≤ 0.05 AU) indicates that it has the potential to make close approaches to the Earth, and because measurements of its absolute magnitude (H ≤ 22) suggest that it is large enough to create serious damage were it to impact.[1][22]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Florence". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference springer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MPC-Florence was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Mainzer-2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Pravec-2012b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference lcdb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference EARN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference WISE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference JPLnews200 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Warner-2016j was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pravec-1998b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference geneva-obs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Linder-2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Elenin-2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Wisniewski-1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thomas-2011b was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mainzer-2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thomas-2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNEOS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference MPC-Circulars-Archive was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "NEO Groups". Near Earth Object Program. NASA. Archived from the original on 2 November 2016.


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