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46610 Bésixdouze (French pronunciation: [be.sis.duːz]; provisional designation 1993 TQ₁) is a bright background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 October 1993, by Japanese amateur astronomers Kin Endate and Kazuro Watanabe at the Kitami Observatory in eastern Hokkaidō, Japan. The asteroid was named after "B-612", home of The Little Prince.

Orbit and classification

Bésixdouze is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,249 days; semi-major axis of 2.27 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.

The asteroid was first identified as 1986 RU₇ at Crimea–Nauchnij in a single image taken in September 1986.

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Bésixdouze measures 2.064 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.262, which is indicative for a stony composition.

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Bésixdouze has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.

Naming

The name was suggested by F. Hemery and Jiří Grygar as a reference to the French novella The Little Prince. The title character lived on an asteroid named B-612, which is the number 46610 written in hexadecimal notation. Bésixdouze (French pronunciation: [be.sis.duːz]; "B-six-twelve") is one way to pronounce B-612 in French. Like the asteroid in The Little Prince, Bésixdouze was first observed in a single night, several years before its official discovery.

The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 November 2002 (M.P.C. 47170). It says:

"The decimal number 46610 translates to the hexadecimal B612, the designation of the fictitious minor planet in de St. Exupéry's 1943 novel Le Petit Prince. B612 was allegedly spotted on a single night in 1909 and reported at a meeting in 1920. The name was suggested independently by F. Hémery and J. Grygar."

See also

• 2578 Saint-Exupéry
• B612 Foundation
• Petit-Prince (moon)

References

1. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 46610 Besixdouze (1993 TQ1)" (2017-11-02 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
2. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(46610) Bésixdouze". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (46610) Bésixdouze. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 895. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_10040. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
3. ^ "Asteroid 46610 Besixdouze – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
4. ^ 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 30 November 2017.
5. ^ "46610 Besixdouze (1993 TQ1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
6. "LCDB Data for (46610) Bésixdouze". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 7 April 2018.
7. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 November 2017.

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (45001)-(50000) – Minor Planet Center
• 46610 Bésixdouze at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 46610 Bésixdouze at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters

• Minor planet object articles (numbered)
• Background asteroids
• Discoveries by Kazuro Watanabe
• Discoveries by Kin Endate
• Named minor planets
• The Little Prince
• Astronomical objects discovered in 1993