2691 Sérsic

2691 Sérsic, provisional designation, is a stony Florian asteroid and binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by staff members at the Felix Aguilar Observatory at El Leoncito Complex in Argentina, on 18 May 1974. The asteroid was named after Argentine astronomer José Luis Sérsic.

Classification and orbit

Sérsic is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of this orbital family – and calculates a diameter of 6.21 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.2.

Satellite

Sérsic is a binary asteroid. A minor-planet moon was discovered in 2011 from lightcurve observations of the asteroid. It has a diameter of 2.15 ± 0.11 and an orbital period of 1 day, 2 hours, and 48 minutes.

Naming

This minor planet was named in honor of José Luis Sérsic, well known for his work in extragalactic astronomy and on supernovae . He has served as director of the Córdoba Observatory. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 February 1989.