21062 Iasky

21062 Iasky, provisional designation 1991 JW1, is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 19 kilometers (12 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 13 May 1991, by American astronomers Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California. It was named for Australian geophysicist Robert Iasky.[1]

21062 Iasky
Discovery [1]
Discovered byC. Shoemaker
E. Shoemaker
Discovery sitePalomar Obs.
Discovery date13 May 1991
Designations
(21062) Iasky
Named after
Robert Iasky [1]
(Australian geophysicist)
1991 JW1 · 1990 EO9
2000 AE168
main-belt [1][2] · (outer)
background [3][4]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc35.85 yr (13,093 d)
Aphelion3.1471 AU
Perihelion2.9420 AU
3.0445 AU
Eccentricity0.0337
5.31 yr (1,940 d)
316.99°
0° 11m 7.8s / day
Inclination23.571°
149.18°
221.51°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
19.034±0.210 km[5]
0.063±0.004[5]
12.4[1][2]

    Orbit and classification

    Iasky is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[3][4] It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.9–3.1 AU once every 5 years and 4 months (1,940 days; semi-major axis of 3.04 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.03 and an inclination of 24° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins in November 1982, with its first observations taken by the Siding Spring Observatory and published with the Digitized Sky Survey later on.[1]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after Australian geophysicist Robert Iasky (born 1956), who discovered the 120-kilometer-sized Woodleigh crater in the Carnarvon Basin of Western Australia while working with the Geological Survey of Western Australia.[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 May 2003 (M.P.C. 48396).[6]

    Physical characteristics

    According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Iasky measures 19.034 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.063,[5] which is typical for a carbonaceous C-type asteroid. As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Iasky has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.[2][7]

    In literature

    In his 1994 book Pale Blue Dot, Astronomer Carl Sagan speculated on the nature of 1991 JW1 (Iasky):

    Asteroid 1991JW has an orbit very much like the Earth's and is even easier to get to than 4660 Nereus. But its orbit seems too similar to the Earth's for it to be a natural object. Perhaps it's some lost upper stage of the Saturn V Apollo moon rocket".[8]

    This is however quite mysterious, as the orbit of 20162 Iasky is located in the outer asteroid belt.

    References
    1. "21062 Iasky (1991 JW1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
    2. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 21062 Iasky (1991 JW1)" (2018-09-15 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
    3. "Asteroid 21062 Iasky". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
    4. "Asteroid (21062) Iasky". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
    5. Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
    6. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
    7. "LCDB Data for (21062) Iasky". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 4 December 2018.
    8. Sagan, Carl (1994). Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. New York: Random House. p. 247. ISBN 0-345-37659-5.

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