4197 Morpheus

{{Short description|Near-Earth asteroid}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}

{{Infobox planet

| minorplanet = yes

| name = 4197 Morpheus

| background = #FFC2E0

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| discovery_ref =

| discovered = 11 October 1982

| discoverer = E. F. Helin
E. Shoemaker

| discovery_site = Palomar Obs.

| mpc_name = (4197) Morpheus

| alt_names = 1982 TA

| pronounced = {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɔr|f|iː|ə|s}}{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Morpheus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320023203/https://www.lexico.com/definition/morpheus |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 March 2020 |title=Morpheus |dictionary=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press}}

| named_after = Morpheus
{{small|(mythology and movie)}}

| mp_category = Apollo{{·}}NEO
Mars-crosser
Venus-crosser

| orbit_ref =

| epoch = 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)

| uncertainty = 0

| observation_arc = 61.98 yr (22,639 days)

| earliest_precovery_date = 3 September 1954

| aphelion = 4.0690 AU

| perihelion = 0.5246 AU

| semimajor = 2.2968 AU

| eccentricity = 0.7716

| period = 3.48 yr (1,271 days)

| mean_anomaly = 339.88°

| mean_motion = {{Deg2DMS|0.2831|sup=ms}} / day

| inclination = 12.577°

| asc_node = 7.1844°

| arg_peri = 122.40°

| moid = 0.0987 AU{{·}}38.5 LD

| mean_diameter = 1.8 km {{small|(dated)}}
{{val|2.20|}} km {{small|(dated)}}
2.98 km {{small|(taken)}}
{{val|2.981}} km
{{val|3.043|0.156}} km

| rotation = {{val|3.5372}} h
{{val|3.5380}} h
{{val|3.5387|}} h
{{val|3.540|0.001}} h
{{val|3.560}} h

| albedo = {{val|0.2389}}
{{val|0.276|0.077}}
{{val|0.44|}}

| spectral_type = SMASS = Sq{{·}}S

| abs_magnitude = 14.6{{·}}14.8{{·}}14.88

}}

4197 Morpheus, provisional designation {{mp|1982 TA}}, is a highly eccentric asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 11 October 1982, by American astronomers Eleanor Helin and Eugene Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory in California, United States. The asteroid was later named for Morpheus from Greek mythology.

Orbit and classification

Morpheus orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.5–4.1 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,271 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.77 and an inclination of 13° with respect to the ecliptic. Due to this elongated orbit, the asteroid is both, a Mars-crosser and a Venus-crosser.

It has a minimum orbit intersection distance with Earth of {{convert |0.0987 |AU |km |abbr=on |sigfig=3}}, which corresponds to 38.5 lunar distances.

A first precovery was taken at the discovering observatory in 1954, extending the body's observation arc by 28 years prior to its official discovery observation.

Physical characteristics

On the SMASS taxonomic scheme, Morpheus is classified as a stony Sq sub-type, which transitions from the common S-type to the rather rare Q-type asteroids.

= Diameter and albedo =

In the 1990s, Tom Gehrels gave a first diameter estimate for Morpheus of 1.8 kilometers.

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), it measures 3.043 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.276. In 2012, a revision of the published WISE-data by Petr Pravec gave a diameter of 2.981 kilometers and an albedo of 0.2389. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the revised WISE-data and takes a diameter of 2.98 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.8.

= Rotation and shape =

In 1996, a rotational lightcurve was obtained by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at the Ondřejov Observatory during the body's close approach to Earth within 0.1 AU. It gave a well-defined rotation period of {{val|3.5380}} hours with a brightness variation of 0.49 magnitude ({{small|U=3}}).

At the same time, astronomers at the Goldstone Observatory analysed Morpheus using radar delay-Doppler imaging. The resultant images are not very clear, but they show that the body has a roughly triangular shape, and a 3-hour rotation period.{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

Seven years later, during the asteroid's next close approach in 2003, Morpheus was observed for five nights by Slovak astronomer Adrián Galád at the Modra Observatory. Lightcurve analysis showed a concurring period of {{val|3.5387}} hours and an amplitude of 0.4 in magnitude ({{small|U=3}}).

Naming

This minor planet was named after Morpheus from Greek mythology. He is a god of dreams who appears in the poem Metamorphoses written by the Roman poet Ovid. He is capable to imitate any human form and to appear in dreams.

The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 5 January 2015 ({{small|M.P.C. 91790}}).

References

{{reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite web

|type = 2016-08-27 last obs.

|title = JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4197 Morpheus (1982 TA)

|url = https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2004197

|publisher = Jet Propulsion Laboratory

|access-date = 20 June 2017}}

{{cite web

|title = 4197 Morpheus (1982 TA)

|work = Minor Planet Center

|url = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=4197

|access-date = 1 March 2016}}

{{cite web

|title = MPC/MPO/MPS Archive

|work = Minor Planet Center

|url = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html

|access-date = 25 May 2016}}

{{cite web

|title = LCDB Data for (4197) Morpheus

|publisher = Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB)

|url = http://www.minorplanet.info/PHP/generateOneAsteroidInfo.php?AstInfo=4197%7CMorpheus

|access-date = 25 May 2016}}

{{cite journal

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|access-date= 1 March 2016}}

{{cite journal

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|date = September 2012

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|date = January 2000

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}}