4337 Arecibo

4337 Arecibo
Discovery[1]
Discovered byE. Bowell
Discovery siteAnderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date14 April 1985
Designations
(4337) Arecibo
Named after
Arecibo Observatory[2]
1933 HE · 1979 FR3
1979 HG2 · 1985 GB
main-belt [2][1] · (outer)
Themis [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 9 August 2022 (JD 2459800.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc88.42 yr (32,295 d)
Earliest precovery date24 April 1933
Aphelion3.5626 AU
Perihelion2.9702 AU
3.2664 AU
Eccentricity0.0907
5.90 yr (2,156 d)
104.049°
0° 10m 1.041s / day
Inclination2.2131°
41.175°
183.07°
Physical characteristics[3]
24.4±0.6 km (primary)[4]: 4 
Mean density
<1.3 g/cm3[5]: 17 
32.972823 h (Gaia DR3)[5]: 16 
32.85±0.38 h[6][5]
60°±3°[5]: 16 
261°±3°[5]: 16 
0.077±0.004[7][1]
0.06±0.02[8]
11.9±0.1[7] · 12.45[8]
12.52[1][2]

4337 Arecibo (prov. designation: 1985 GB) is a binary asteroid in the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 24 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 14 April 1985, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at the Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States. It was named after the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.[2] It has a relatively large minor-planet moon that was discovered in stellar occultation observations by David Gault and Peter Nosworthy in May 2021, distinguishing it as the first asteroid moon discovered and confirmed solely using the occultation method.[9]

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