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6377 Cagney

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6377 Cagney
Discovery [1]
Discovered byA. Mrkos
Discovery siteKleť Obs.
Discovery date25 June 1987
Designations
(6377) Cagney
Named after
James Cagney
(American actor and dancer)[2]
1987 ML1 · 1953 LA
1991 GF2
main-belt · Eunomia[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc65.36 yr (23,871 days)
Aphelion3.0383 AU
Perihelion2.2031 AU
2.6207 AU
Eccentricity0.1593
4.24 yr (1,550 days)
65.816°
0° 13m 56.28s / day
Inclination15.444°
125.33°
115.32°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions8.76 km (calculated)[3]
9.38±2.91 km[4]
4.171±0.003 h[5]
0.16±0.11[4]
0.21 (assumed)[3]
C[3][6]
12.6[1][3] · 12.76[4] · 12.79±0.59[6]

6377 Cagney, provisional designation 1987 ML1, is a carbonaceous Eunomia asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter.

The asteroid was discovered on 25 June 1987, by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at South Bohemian Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic. It was named after American actor and dancer James Cagney.[2][7]

Orbit and classification

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Cagney is a member of the Eunomia family, the most prominent family of otherwise stony asteroids in the intermediate main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.2–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,550 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 15° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

A first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1951, extending the body's observation arc by 36 years prior to its official discovery observation at Klet.[7]

Physical characteristics

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Cagney has been characterized as a carbonaceous C-type asteroid by PanSTARRS' photometric survey.[3][6]

Lightcurve

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A rotational lightcurve of Cagney was obtained by Slovak astronomer Adrián Galád at Modra Observatory in February 2008. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 4.171 hours with a brightness variation of 0.20 magnitude (U=3).[5]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Cagney measures 9.38 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.16.[4]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.21 (which is typical for stony asteroids) and calculates a diameter of 8.76 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.6.[3]

Naming

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This minor planet was named in memory of American actor and dancer James Cagney (1899–1986), remembered best for playing multifaceted tough guys in movies such as The Public Enemy (1931) and Angels with Dirty Faces (1938).

In 1942, Cagney won the Oscar for his energetic portrayal of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 June 1997 (M.P.C. 30098).[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 6377 Cagney (1987 ML1)" (2017-05-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(6377) Cagney". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (6377) Cagney. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 528. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_5830. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (6377) Cagney". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Kramer, E. A.; Grav, T.; et al. (September 2016). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year Two: Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (3): 12. arXiv:1606.08923. Bibcode:2016AJ....152...63N. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/3/63.
  5. ^ a b Galad, Adrian (April 2009). "Digest of Ten Lightcurves from Modra". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 36 (2): 42–44. Bibcode:2009MPBu...36...42G. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. S2CID 53493339. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b "6377 Cagney (1987 ML1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  8. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
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