4324 Bickel

{{Short description|Main-belt asteroid}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}

{{Infobox planet

| minorplanet = yes

| name = 4324 Bickel

| background = #D6D6D6

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| discovery_ref =

| discovered = 24 December 1981

| discoverer = L. G. Taff

| discovery_site = Lincoln Laboratory ETS

| mpc_name = (4324) Bickel

| alt_names = {{mp|1981 YA|1}}{{·}}1932 UD
1932 WE{{·}}1948 SD
{{mp|1948 TK|2}}{{·}}1964 PE
1966 DC{{·}}1972 NF
{{mp|1973 YR|3}}{{·}}1985 XX
A924 YC

| named_after = Wolf Bickel
{{small|(amateur astronomer)}}

| mp_category = main-belt{{·}}{{small|(middle)}}

| orbit_ref =

| epoch = 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)

| uncertainty = 0

| observation_arc = 92.44 yr (33,765 days)

| aphelion = 3.0537 AU

| perihelion = 2.0373 AU

| semimajor = 2.5455 AU

| eccentricity = 0.1996

| period = 4.06 yr (1,483 days)

| mean_anomaly = 320.50°

| mean_motion = {{Deg2DMS|0.2427|sup=ms}} / day

| inclination = 7.7760°

| asc_node = 292.79°

| arg_peri = 108.71°

| dimensions = {{val|11.65|0.56}} km
12.39 km {{small|(calculated)}}

| rotation = {{val|16}} h
{{val|26.5}} h
{{val|26.592|0.003}} h

| albedo = 0.20 {{small|(assumed)}}
{{val|0.248|0.020}}

| spectral_type = S

| abs_magnitude = 11.80{{·}}11.9{{·}}{{val|12.37|0.29}}

}}

4324 Bickel, provisional designation {{mp|1981 YA|1}}, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 December 1981, by American astronomer Laurence Taff at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico, United States. The asteroid was named after amateur astronomer Wolf Bickel.

Orbit and classification

Bickel orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.0–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,483 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.20 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic. It was first identified as {{mp|A924 YC}} at Heidelberg Observatory in 1924, extending the body's observation arc by 57 years prior to its official discovery observation at Socorro.

Physical characteristics

Bickel has been characterized as a common S-type asteroid.

= Rotation period =

In September 2001, the first ever conducted photometric observation of Bickel at the Rozhen Observatory, Bulgaria, rendered a rotational lightcurve with a longer-than-average period of {{val|26.5}} hours and a brightness variation of 0.63 magnitude ({{small|U=2}}). A more refined lightcurve was obtained in October 2005, by astronomers Raymond Poncy, Laurent Bernasconi and Rui Goncalves, which gave a well-defined period of {{val|26.592|0.003}} hours with an amplitude of 0.72 magnitude ({{small|U=3}}).

= Diameter and albedo =

According to observations by NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Bickel measures 11.7 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.248, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a slightly larger diameter of 12.4 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 11.9.

Naming

This minor planet was named in honor of German amateur astronomer Wolf Bickel (born 1942) who began observing minor planets at his private Bergisch Gladbach Observatory in 1995.

At the time this minor planet was named, he had discovered more than 540 numbered minor planets. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 22 July 2013 ({{small|M.P.C. 84378}}). Bickel has become Germany's most prolific discoverer of asteroids, ahead of (professional) astronomer Freimut Börngen, the first time in 150 years, that an amateur astronomer is ranking first among the German top discoverers. His total number of discoveries has since increased to more than 600.

References

{{reflist|30em|refs=

{{cite web

|type = 2017-06-02 last obs.

|title = JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4324 Bickel (1981 YA1)

|url = https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2004324

|publisher = Jet Propulsion Laboratory

|access-date = 20 June 2017}}

{{cite web

|title = 4324 Bickel (1981 YA1)

|work = Minor Planet Center

|url = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=4324

|access-date = 5 April 2016}}

{{cite web

|title = Minor Planet Discoverers (by number)

|work = Minor Planet Center

|url = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/MPDiscsNum.html

|date = 23 March 2016

|access-date = 5 April 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 = 17 May 2016}}

{{cite web

|title = Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (4324) Bickel

|last = Behrend |first = Raoul

|publisher = Geneva Observatory

|url = http://obswww.unige.ch/~behrend/page4cou.html#004324

|access-date = 17 May 2016}}

{{cite web

|title = LCDB Data for (4324) Bickel

|publisher = Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB)

|url = http://www.minorplanet.info/PHP/generateOneAsteroidInfo.php?AstInfo=4324%7CBickel

|access-date = 17 May 2016}}

{{cite web

|title = Bickel überholt Börngen – die erfolgreichsten deutschen Kleinplanetenentdecker

|trans-title= Bickel overtakes Börgen – Most prolific German discoverers of minor planets

|url = http://erwinschwab.de/pdf/vds_Journal_47_S80_Bickel-Boerngen.pdf

|pages = 80–83

|work = VdS-Journal – Vereinigung der Sternfreunde

|format = PDF

|date = April 2013

|access-date = 5 April 2016}}

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|date = November 2012

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|arxiv = 1209.5794

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|date = November 2002

|title = Results from photometric studies of asteroids at Rozhen National Observatory, Bulgaria

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|journal = In: Proceedings of Asteroids

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|bibcode = 2002ESASP.500..505I

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|date = November 2015

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|bibcode = 2015Icar..261...34V

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|arxiv = 1506.00762

|access-date= 17 May 2016}}

}}