497593 Kejimkujik

497593 Kejimkujik
497593 Kejimkujik's orbit shown in yellow and blue
Discovery
Discovered byPaul Wiegert
Discovery siteMauna Kea Observatories
Discovery date1 May 2006
Designations
Named after
Kejimkujik National Park
2006 JU69, 2010 CY119
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 2461000.5 TDB (21 November 2025)
Aphelion2.958401588141525 AU
Perihelion2.775718241912334 AU
2.86705991502693 AU
Eccentricity0.0318590039349554
4.854710708561128 years
305.1715516630285°
0.2030247202226563° per day
Inclination4.925512866784786°
217.6151037621041°
65.16943448094455°
StarSun
Earth MOID1.76231 AU
Mercury MOID2.31894 AU
Venus MOID2.05316 AU
Mars MOID1.23511 AU
Jupiter MOID2.07086 AU
Saturn MOID6.06827 AU
Uranus MOID15.4862 AU
Neptune MOID26.8571 AU
Physical characteristics
17.25 (JPL) – 17.27 (IAU)

497593 Kejimkujik is a main-belt minor planet,[1][2] first observed on 1 May 2006 by Paul Wiegert at the Mauna Kea Observatories.[3] It was designated 2006 JU69, and later received the secondary designation 2010 CY119.[4][5][3][6] Kejimkujik is about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) across and can be seen only with professional telescopes.[2]

Naming

On 13 June 2022, the International Astronomical Union approved the name Kejimkujik for minor planet 497593.[1][4][2] It is named after Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia, Canada, which is recognized for its natural and cultural significance and its designation as a Dark Sky Preserve by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2010.[1][7][2] The naming proposal was supported by members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and representatives of the Acadia First Nation.[1] Its SPKID is 20497593.[5]

Orbital elements

Kejimkujik orbits the Sun in the main asteroid belt, with a perihelion of approximately 2.77 AU and an inclination of roughly 4.925° with respect to the ecliptic. Of the fifteen "Nova Scotia Asteroids" named after people or places connected to Nova Scotia, it has the least orbital eccentricity – about 0.03, which is nearly circular.[8] It completes one orbit around the sun in approximately 4.85 years.[5][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Minor Planet Named "Kejimkujik"". www.astronomynovascotia.ca. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  2. ^ a b c d "Kejimkujik: Asteroid named for Mi'kmaw ancestral site". EarthSky. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  3. ^ a b "IAU Minor Planet Center". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  4. ^ a b "Asteroid (497593) Kejimkujik". RASC. 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  5. ^ a b c "Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2026-01-04. Retrieved 2026-01-11.
  6. ^ "Asteroids with a Canadian Connection". RASC. 2011-05-03. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  7. ^ IAU (2022-06-12). "WGSBN Bulletin, Volume 2, #8" (PDF). www.wgsbn-iau.org.
  8. ^ Roy Bishop; Judy Black (December 2025). "Nothing Minor" (PDF). Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. 19 (6): 230.
  9. ^ "MPC -- Orbit Sketch". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  • Interactive orbit sketch: MPC
  • Observations and other data: IAU