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2022 West, provisional designation 1938 CK, is a stony asteroid from the middle regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory on 7 February 1938. The asteroid was named after Danish astronomer Richard M. West.

Classification and orbit

West orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.4–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,625 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. The asteroid observation arc begins at Heidelberg one month after its official discovery observation in March 1938.

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS classification, West is a common S-type asteroid.

Lightcurves

In November 2016, a first rotational lightcurve of West was obtained from photometric observations by Italian astronomers. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 14.14 hours with a brightness variation of 0.50 magnitude (U=3-).

Diameter

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, West measures between 11.04 and 12.916 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.1682 and 0.23.

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and consequently calculates a much larger diameter of 26.64 kilometers using an absolute magnitude of 11.6.

Naming

This minor planet was named after Danish astronomer Richard Martin West (born 1941), an observer and discoverer of minor planets at the European Southern Observatory in La Silla. West also discovered 76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura, a bright comet of the Jupiter family. He also was the International Astronomical Union's general secretary (1982–1985) and president of its Commission XX (1988–1991). The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 April 1978 (M.P.C. 4359).

References

1. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2022 West (1938 CK)" (2017-03-21 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
2. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2022) West". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2022) West. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 164. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2023. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
3. ^ Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
4. ^ Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
5. ^ Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90.
6. ^ "LCDB Data for (2022) West". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 4 July 2017.
7. ^ Franco, Lorenzo; Marchini, Alessandro (April 2017). "Rotation Periods for 1751 Herget, 2022 West and (23997) 1999 RW27". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 44 (2): 93–94. Bibcode:2017MPBu...44...93F. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
8. 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. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
9. ^ "2022 West (1938 CK)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
10. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2009). "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 221. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7.

• Minor planet object articles (numbered)
• Background asteroids
• Discoveries by Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth
• Named minor planets
• S-type asteroids (SMASS)
• Astronomical objects discovered in 1938