342843 Davidbowie
342843 Davidbowie is a Henan asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 1.4 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 21 December 2008, by German astronomer Felix Hormuth from Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy at Calar Alto Observatory in Almería, southeastern Spain. It was named for British singer-songwriter David Bowie.
Orbit and classification
Davidbowie is a member of the Henan family, a large family of L-type asteroids in the intermediate main-belt, named after 2085 Henan. It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 7 months. The asteroid has a well-observed orbit with the lowest possible condition code. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.It was first identified as at the Steward Observatory in September 2003, extending the asteroid's observation arc by almost 5 years prior to its official discovery observation at Calar Alto.
Notably, the asteroid had a close encounter with the 200 kilometer-sized asteroid 16 Psyche, one of the most massive bodies in the main-belt, which it passed at only on 15 May 1935.
Physical characteristics
Based on its absolute magnitude of 17.1, Davidbowie's diameter can be estimated to measure approximately 1.4 kilometers, using an albedo of 0.13, derived from the family's parent body, 2085 Henan.As of 2017, Davidbowie's effective size and shape, as well as its poles, albedo and rotation period remain unknown.