14789 GAISH


14789 GAISH, provisional designation, is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 8 October 1969, by Soviet astronomer Lyudmila Chernykh of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory at Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula. The assumed C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 8.1 hours and possibly an elongated shape. It was named for the Russian Sternberg Astronomical Institute of Moscow State University.

Orbit and classification

GAISH is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.8–3.4 AU once every 5 years and 6 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation in October 1969.

Physical characteristics

GAISH is an assumed carbonaceous C-type asteroid.

Rotation period

In October 2010, a rotational lightcurve of GAISH was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 8.086 hours with a high brightness amplitude of 0.82 magnitude, indicative of a non-spherical shape.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, GAISH measures 15.256 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.076. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a carbonaceous asteroid of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 11.42 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 13.44.

Naming

This minor planet was named after the Sternberg Astronomical Institute, a division of Moscow State University. Founded in 1931, it is one of Russia's leading astronomical institute and a principal educational facility for professional astronomers. The institute is located on the site of the 1931-built Sternberg Observatory. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 January 2007.