3122 Florence
3122 Florence is a stony trinary 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. Florence has two moons.
Arecibo radar imaging of 3122 Florence orbited by two minor-planet moons on 4 September 2017 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Schelte J. "Bobby" Bus |
| Discovery site | Siding Spring Obs. |
| Discovery date | 2 March 1981 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (3122) Florence |
| Pronunciation | /ˈflɒrəns/ |
Named after | Florence Nightingale (English nurse) |
Alternative designations | 1981 ET3 · 1983 CN1 |
Minor planet category | Amor · NEO · PHA |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 38.52 yr (14,069 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5180 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.0203 AU |
Semi-major axis | 1.7691 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.4233 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 2.35 yr (859 days) |
Mean anomaly | 351.44° |
Mean motion | 0° 25m 8.04s / day |
| Inclination | 22.151° |
Longitude of ascending node | 336.10° |
| 27.847° | |
| Known satellites | 2 |
| Earth MOID | 0.0443 AU · 17.3 LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 4.010±1.237 km 4.349 km 4.35 km (taken) 4.401±0.030 km 4.9 km |
Mean density | 1.4 g/cm3 |
Synodic rotation period | 2.3580±0.0002 h 2.3581 h 2.3582±0.0003 h 2.3588±0.0008 h 2.359±0.001 h 2.359±0.003 h 5±1 h |
| 0.146 0.21±0.20 0.231±0.049 0.258±0.199 | |
| SMASS = S · Sq | |
| 13.87±0.1 (R) · 14.0 · 14.04±0.1 (R) · 14.1 · 14.515±0.11 · 14.65±0.11 · 14.65±0.3 | |
Florence was discovered on 2 March 1981 by American astronomer Schelte J. "Bobby" Bus at Siding Spring Observatory. Its provisional designation was 1981 ET3. It was named in honor of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing; the naming citation was published on 6 April 1993 (M.P.C. 21955).
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.