{{Short description|Main-belt asteroid}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox planet | minorplanet = yes | name = 12838 Adamsmith | background = #D6D6D6 | image = | image_size = | caption = | discovery_ref = <ref name="jpldata" /> | discovered = 9 March 1997 | discoverer = E. W. Elst | discovery_site = La Silla Obs. | mpc_name = (12838) Adamsmith | alt_names = {{mp|1997 EL|55}}{{·}}{{mp|1987 DX|6}}<br />{{mp|1997 HO|14}}{{·}}{{mp|1999 RX|2}} | named_after = Adam Smith<br />{{small|(moral philosopher)}}<ref name="springer" /> | mp_category = {{nowrap|main-belt{{·}}Koronis<ref name="lcdb" />}} | orbit_ref = <ref name="jpldata" /> | epoch = 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | uncertainty = 0 | observation_arc = 30.19 yr (11,026 days) | aphelion = 3.0762 AU | perihelion = 2.6925 AU | semimajor = 2.8843 AU | eccentricity = 0.0665 | period = 4.90 yr (1,789 days) | mean_anomaly = 194.63° | mean_motion = {{Deg2DMS|0.2012|sup=ms}} / day | inclination = 1.1631° | asc_node = 322.05° | arg_peri = 89.801° | dimensions = 6.16 km {{small|(calculated)}}<ref name="lcdb" /> | rotation = {{val|10.9090|0.0031}} h<ref name="Waszczak-2016" /> | albedo = 0.24 {{small|(assumed)}}<ref name="lcdb" /> | spectral_type = S<ref name="lcdb" /> | abs_magnitude = 13.0<ref name="jpldata" />{{·}}{{val|12.70|0.34}}<ref name="Veres-2015" />{{·}}{{val|12.770|0.002}} {{small|(R)}}<ref name="Waszczak-2016" />{{·}}13.22<ref name="lcdb" /> }}
'''12838 Adamsmith''', provisional designation {{mp|1997 EL|55}}, is a stony Koronis asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. The asteroid was discovered on 9 March 1997, by Belgian astronomer Eric Walter Elst at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile.<ref name="MPC-Adamsmith" /> It was named after Scottish philosopher and economist Adam Smith.<ref name="springer" />
== Orbit and classification ==
''Adamsmith'' is a member of the Koronis family, a group of co-planar, stony asteroids in the outer main-belt, named after 158 Koronis. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 11 months (1,789 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.<ref name="lcdb" />
It was first identified as {{mp|1987 DX|6}} at the discovering observatory in 1987, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 10 years prior to its official discovery observation.<ref name="MPC-Adamsmith" />
== Physical characteristics ==
In January 2011, a rotational lightcurve of ''Adamsmith'' was obtained from photometric observations by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of {{val|10.9090}} hours with a brightness variation of 0.48 magnitude ({{small|U=2}}).<ref name="Waszczak-2016" />
The ''Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link'' assumes a standard albedo for stony Koronian asteroids of 0.24 and calculates a diameter of 6.2 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.22.<ref name="lcdb" />
== Naming ==
This minor planet was named for the economist Adam Smith (1723–1790), Scottish moral philosopher and principal figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. Known for his works ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' (1759) and ''An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations'' (1776), he introduced the concept of the division of labour which represents a qualitative increase in productivity, and suggested that self-interest and competition can lead to economic prosperity.<ref name="springer" /> The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center 30 July 2007 {{small|(M.P.C. 60299)}}.<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive" />
== References == <references>
<ref name="jpldata">{{cite web |type = 2017-05-05 last obs. |title = JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 12838 Adamsmith (1997 EL55) |url = https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2012838 |publisher = Jet Propulsion Laboratory |accessdate = 24 June 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="springer">{{cite book |title = Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (12838) Adamsmith |last = Schmadel | first = Lutz D. |publisher = Springer Berlin Heidelberg |page = 829 |date = 2003 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=aeAg1X7afOoC&pg=PA829 |isbn = 978-3-540-29925-7 |accessdate = 30 April 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="MPC-Adamsmith">{{cite web |title = 12838 Adamsmith (1997 EL55) |work = Minor Planet Center |url = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=12838 |accessdate = 30 April 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="lcdb">{{cite LCDB|number = 12838 |accessdate = 30 April 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive">{{cite web |title = MPC/MPO/MPS Archive |work = Minor Planet Center |url = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html |accessdate = 30 April 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="Waszczak-2016">{{cite journal |display-authors = 6 |first1 = Adam |last1 = Waszczak |first2 = Chan-Kao |last2 = Chang |first3 = Eran O. |last3 = Ofek |first4 = Russ |last4 = Laher |first5 = Frank |last5 = Masci |first6 = David |last6 = Levitan |first7 = Jason |last7 = Surace |first8 = Yu-Chi |last8 = Cheng |first9 = Wing-Huen |last9 = Ip |first10 = Daisuke |last10 = Kinoshita |first11 = George |last11 = Helou |first12 = Thomas A. |last12 = Prince |first13 = Shrinivas |last13 = Kulkarni |date = September 2015 |title = Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry |url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2015AJ....150...75W |journal = The Astronomical Journal |volume = 150 |issue = 3 |page = 35 |bibcode = 2015AJ....150...75W |doi = 10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75 |arxiv = 1504.04041 |access-date= 30 April 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="Veres-2015">{{cite journal |display-authors = 6 |first1 = Peter |last1 = Veres |first2 = Robert |last2 = Jedicke |first3 = Alan |last3 = Fitzsimmons |first4 = Larry |last4 = Denneau |first5 = Mikael |last5 = Granvik |first6 = Bryce |last6 = Bolin |first7 = Serge |last7 = Chastel |first8 = Richard J. |last8 = Wainscoat |first9 = William S. |last9 = Burgett |first10 = Kenneth C. |last10 = Chambers |first11 = Heather |last11 = Flewelling |first12 = Nick |last12 = Kaiser |first13 = Eugen A. |last13 = Magnier |first14 = Jeff S. |last14 = Morgan |first15 = Paul A. |last15 = Price |first16 = John L. |last16 = Tonry |first17 = Christopher |last17 = Waters |date = November 2015 |title = Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results |url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2015Icar..261...34V |journal = Icarus |volume = 261 |pages = 34–47 |bibcode = 2015Icar..261...34V |doi = 10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007 |arxiv = 1506.00762 |access-date= 30 April 2016}}</ref>
</references> <!-- end of reflist -->
== External links == * [http://www.minorplanet.info/PHP/lcdbsummaryquery.php Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB)], query form ([http://www.minorplanet.info/lightcurvedatabase.html info] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216050541/http://www.minorplanet.info/lightcurvedatabase.html |date=16 December 2017 }}) * [https://books.google.com/books?id=aeAg1X7afOoC&pg Dictionary of Minor Planet Names], Google books * [http://obswww.unige.ch/~behrend/page_cou.html Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR] – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend * [https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/NumberedMPs010001.html Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (10001)-(15000)] – Minor Planet Center * {{AstDys|12838}} * {{JPL small body}}
{{Minor planets navigator | |number=12838 |(12839) 1997 FB2}} {{Small Solar System bodies}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamsmith}} 012838 Category:Discoveries by Eric Walter Elst Category:Named minor planets 19970309