Definition
(154276) 2002 SY50 is a numbered minor planet—commonly referred to as an asteroid—situated in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Overview
The object was discovered on 25 September 2002 by the Lincoln Near‑Earth Asteroid Research (LINE AR) program at the Socorro site in New Mexico, United States. Following its discovery, it received the provisional designation “2002 SY50,” indicating the year and order of its detection. After sufficient observations allowed its orbit to be well determined, the Minor Planet Center assigned it the permanent number 154276. As of the latest catalogs, the asteroid has not been given a formal name beyond its numerical and provisional identifiers.
Etymology/Origin
The provisional designation “2002 SY50” follows the standard Minor Planet Center naming convention:
- “2002” denotes the year of discovery.
- The letter “S” corresponds to the half‑month of discovery (the second half of September).
- The following letter “Y” and the number “50” together indicate that this was the 1250th object recorded in that half‑month period (each letter cycle represents 25 objects; the subscript number increments after each full cycle).
The permanent number “154276” simply reflects its sequential order among all minor planets that have been assigned reliable orbits.
Characteristics
- Orbital classification: Main‑belt asteroid.
- Semi‑major axis: Approximately 2.5 AU (astronomical units) from the Sun.
- Eccentricity: Roughly 0.07, indicating a mildly elliptical orbit.
- Inclination: About 3° to the ecliptic plane.
- Orbital period: Close to 4 years (≈ 1 460 days).
- Absolute magnitude (H): 16.9 ± 0.2, suggesting a diameter on the order of 1–2 kilometres depending on the assumed albedo.
- Spectral type / composition: Not yet determined; no published spectroscopic observations are available.
- Rotation period, pole orientation, and surface properties: Accurate information is not confirmed.
Related Topics
- Minor planet (asteroid): Small Solar System bodies orbiting the Sun, primarily located in the asteroid belt.
- Main asteroid belt: The region of space between Mars and Jupiter containing the majority of known asteroids.
- Lincoln Near‑Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR): An automated sky‑survey program responsible for discovering the majority of known near‑Earth objects and many main‑belt asteroids.
- Provisional designation system: The alphanumeric method used by the Minor Planet Center to catalog newly discovered minor planets prior to numbering.
- Minor Planet Center (MPC): The organization that collects observational data on minor planets and assigns designations and numbers.