8013 Gordonmoore, provisional designation 1990 KA, is an eccentric, stony asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 1–2 kilometers in diameter.

8013 Gordonmoore
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. F. Helin
Discovery sitePalomar Obs.
Discovery date18 May 1990
Designations
(8013) Gordonmoore
Named after
Gordon Moore
(Intel co-founder)[2]
1990 KA
NEO · Amor[1][3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc64.90 yr (23,703 days)
Earliest precovery date1 September 1951
Aphelion3.1498 AU
Perihelion1.2503 AU
2.2000 AU
Eccentricity0.4317
3.26 yr (1,192 days)
126.01°
0° 18m 7.2s / day
Inclination7.5685°
105.57°
146.73°
Earth MOID0.2472 AU · 96.3 LD
Physical characteristics
Dimensions1.04 km (derived)[4]
2.3 km[1]
6 h (dated)[5]
8.40±0.01 h[6]
0.20 (assumed)[4]
S[4]
16.67±0.2 (R)[4] · 16.9[1] · 17.26±0.149[7] · 17.26[4] · 17.27±0.15[8]

The asteroid was discovered on 18 May 1990, by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at Palomar Observatory in California, United States.[3] It was named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore.[2]

Orbit and classification

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Gordonmoore orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.3–3.1 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,192 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.43 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

It has a minimum orbit intersection distance with Earth of 0.2472 AU (37,000,000 km), or 96.3 lunar distance. Due to its eccentric orbit, Gordonmoore is also Mars-crosser. In 2127, the asteroid will pass the Red Planet within 0.02776 AU (4,150,000 km).[1]

A first precovery was taken at the discovering Palomar Observatory in 1951, extending the body's observation arc by 39 years prior to its official discovery observation.[3]

Physical characteristics

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Rotation period

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In April 2016, a rotational lightcurve of Gordonmoore was obtained from photometric observations by astronomer Brian Warner at the Palmer Divide Station (716) in Colorado. It gave a rotation period of 8.40 hours with a brightness variation of 0.25 magnitude. Lightcurve analysis also gave an alternative period solution of 4.19 hours with an amplitude of 0.25 magnitude. (U=2).[6] The results supersede a previous observations made at the Hoher List Observatory in Germany, that gave a shorter period of 6 hours (U=1).[5]

Diameter and albedo

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The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 1.04 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 17.26.[4] In the 1990s, Tom Gehrels estimated the body's diameter to be 2.3 kilometers, assuming an albedo of 0.15.[1]

Naming

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This minor planet was named in honour of American entrepreneur and billionaire, Gordon Moore (1929-2023), co-founder of Intel, known for his revolutionary vision of the future of computers, and author of Moore's law. As a philanthropist, Moore has supported research and education all his life.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 May 2002 (M.P.C. 45747).[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 8013 Gordonmoore (1990 KA)" (2016-07-24 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(8013) Gordonmoore". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (8013) Gordonmoore. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 628. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_6793. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c "8013 Gordonmoore (1990 KA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (8013) Gordonmoore". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  5. ^ a b Hoffmann, M. (March 1991). "Photometry of 1990 KA". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 18: 10. Bibcode:1991MPBu...18...10H. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  6. ^ a b Warner, Brian D. (October 2016). "Near-Earth Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at CS3-Palmer Divide Station: 2016 April-July". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 43 (4): 311–319. Bibcode:2016MPBu...43..311W. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  7. ^ Pravec, Petr; Harris, Alan W.; Kusnirák, Peter; Galád, Adrián; Hornoch, Kamil (September 2012). "Absolute magnitudes of asteroids and a revision of asteroid albedo estimates from WISE thermal observations". Icarus. 221 (1): 365–387. Bibcode:2012Icar..221..365P. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.026. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  8. ^ Wisniewski, W. Z.; Michalowski, T. M.; Harris, A. W.; McMillan, R. S. (March 1995). "Photoelectric Observations of 125 Asteroids". Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 26: 1511. Bibcode:1995LPI....26.1511W. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  9. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
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