3673 Levy
Binary Flora asteroid discovered by Edward Bowell in 1985.
3673 Levy (provisional designation 1985 QS) is a binary asteroid roughly 6 kilometers across, belonging to the Flora family in the inner main belt. American astronomer Edward Bowell discovered it on 22 August 1985 from Lowell Observatory’s Anderson Mesa Station in Arizona. The asteroid was later named for Canadian astronomer David H. Levy.
Levy is an S-type asteroid, a stony member of the large Flora group. Its orbit carries it between 1.9 and 2.8 AU from the Sun, completing one revolution every 3 years and 7 months (1,312 days). The orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 7° relative to the ecliptic. Although the official discovery occurred in 1985, the object had been previously observed as “1969 ER” at Crimea–Nauchnij in 1969, extending the observation arc by 16 years.
In December 2007, astronomers at the Carbuncle Hill Observatory (Rhode Island), the Ondřejov Observatory (Czech Republic), and the Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station (California) obtained a rotational lightcurve. It shows Levy rotates every 2.688 hours, with a low brightness variation of 0.13 magnitude, suggesting a nearly spheroidal shape. The same photometric observations revealed that Levy is a binary system: a satellite orbits the primary every 21.67 hours, measuring about 28±3% of Levy’s diameter (roughly 1.8 kilometers).
Data from NASA’s WISE and NEOWISE surveys give Levy a diameter between 5.80 and 6.47 kilometers and a surface albedo ranging from 0.234 to 0.398. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link, following revised WISE results by Pravec, adopts an albedo of 0.2341 and a diameter of 6.47 kilometers, with an absolute magnitude of 13.14.
The minor planet honors David H. Levy (born 1948), a Canadian astronomer known for discovering minor planets and comets. A prolific observer, he uses a wide range of techniques and is also an educator and author, writing biographies of astronomers and launching programs to bring observational astronomy to the public. Levy is one of history’s most successful comet discoverers, with 22 comets to his name—nine found using his own backyard telescopes. With Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory, he co-discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994, producing the most spectacular explosions ever seen in the Solar System.
Quick Facts
- Minorplanet
- yes
- Background
- #D6D6D6
- Discovered
- 22 August 1985
- Discoverer
- E. Bowell
- Discovery Site
- Anderson Mesa Stn.
- Mpc Name
- (3673) Levy
- Named After
- David H. Levy (Canadian astronomer)
- Mp Category
- main-beltFlora
- Epoch
- 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
- Uncertainty
- 0
- Observation Arc
- 47.32 yr (17,284 days)
- Aphelion
- 2.7791 AU
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
3673 Levy is an S-type asteroid and 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 1.9–2.8 AU every 3 years and 7 months (1,312 days), with an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 7°. It was first identified as '1969 ER' at Crimea–Nauchnij in 1969, extending its observation arc by 16 years prior to the official discovery observation.
In December 2007, astronomers from the U.S. Carbuncle Hill Observatory, the Czech Ondřejov Observatory, and the Californian Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station obtained a rotational lightcurve showing Levy rotates every 2.688 hours. The low brightness variation of 0.13 magnitude indicates a nearly spheroidal shape. During these observations, it was discovered that Levy is a binary asteroid, orbited every 21.67 hours by a satellite approximately 1.8 kilometers in diameter.
According to the survey by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its NEOWISE mission, Levy measures between 5.80 and 6.47 kilometers in diameter with an albedo between 0.234 and 0.398. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts an albedo of 0.2341 and a diameter of 6.47 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.14.
Reader's Guide
The asteroid was named in honor of Canadian astronomer David H. Levy, a discoverer of minor planets and comets and a highly committed observer who uses a large repertoire of observational techniques. He is also an educator and author, known for his biographies of astronomers and for his launched educational programs bringing observational astronomy to the broader public. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 April 1988. Levy is one of the most successful comet discoverers in history, having discovered 22 comets, nine using his own backyard telescopes. With Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory he discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994, producing the most spectacular explosions ever witnessed in the Solar System. Levy is currently involved with the Jarnac Comet Survey, based at the Jarnac Observatory in Vail, Arizona. The binary nature of 3673 Levy adds to its scientific interest, as such systems provide insights into asteroid formation and dynamics.
Did You Know?
- 3673 Levy is a binary asteroid with a satellite that orbits every 21.67 hours.
- It was discovered on 22 August 1985 by American astronomer Edward Bowell.
- The asteroid is named after Canadian astronomer David H. Levy, co-discoverer of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
- Its rotation period is 2.688 hours, with a low brightness variation suggesting a nearly spheroidal shape.
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