1747 Wright
1747 Wright, provisional designation, is a stony asteroid and a sizable Mars-crosser, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 14 July 1947, by American astronomer Carl Wirtanen at Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton near San Jose, California. It was named in memory of astronomer William Hammond Wright.
Orbit and classification
Wright orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.5–1.9 AU once every 2 years and 3 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 21° with respect to the ecliptic. As no precoveries were taken and no previous identifications were made, Wright's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Mount Hamilton in 1947.Physical characteristics
Spectral type and mineralogy
In the SMASS taxonomic system, Wright is an Sl-type, which transitions between the common stony S-type and the less common L-type asteroids. In the Tholen classification, this asteroid could not be assigned to a specific type. Its spectrum was unusual and noisy and resembled that of an A-type asteroid.In 2012, Wright was observed in the near-infrared using the SpeX instrument of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The spectral measurement indicate that Wright is not an olivine-rich A-type, but rather similar to the ordinary chondrites, with the common H chondrite as the most likely meteorite analogue for the asteroid's composition, as the spectra strongly indicate the presence of rock-forming pyroxenes minerals. The team of astronomers also characterized Wright as an class asteroid using the Bus–DeMeo taxonomic system.
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS and the Japanese Akari satellite, the asteroid measures 5.17 and 6.35 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.20 and 0.32, respectively. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the results obtained by IRAS.Photometry
In July 2005, a rotational lightcurve of Wright was obtained by astronomers Reiner Stoss, Jaime Nomen, Salvador Sánchez and Raoul Behrend at the Mallorca Observatory, Spain. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of hours with a brightness variation of 0.61 magnitude.In July 2014, another, concurring lightcurve with a period of hours and an amplitude of 0.53 was obtained by Robert Stephens at the Trojan Station of the Center for Solar System Studies in Landers, southern California.