{{Short description|Main-belt asteroid}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox planet | minorplanet = yes | name = 8549 Alcide | background = #D6D6D6 | image = | image_size = | caption = | discovery_ref = <ref name="jpldata" /> | discovered = 30 March 1994 | discoverer = Farra d'Isonzo Obs.<br />{{small|(inc. Luciano Bittesini)}} | discovery_site = Farra d'Isonzo Obs. | mpc_name = (8549) Alcide | alt_names = 1994 FS | named_after = Alcide Bittesini<br />{{small|(father of co-discoverer)}}<ref name="springer" /> | mp_category = main-belt{{·}}Nysa<ref name="lcdb" /> | orbit_ref = <ref name="jpldata" /> | epoch = 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | uncertainty = 0 | observation_arc = 23.31 yr (8,514 days) | aphelion = 2.8912 AU | perihelion = 1.9828 AU | semimajor = 2.4370 AU | eccentricity = 0.1864 | period = 3.80 yr (1,390 days) | mean_anomaly = 318.71° | mean_motion = {{Deg2DMS|0.2591|sup=ms}} / day | inclination = 1.8790° | asc_node = 205.61° | arg_peri = 64.719° | dimensions = 4.19 km {{small|(calculated)}}<ref name="lcdb" /><br />{{val|4.341|0.076}} km<ref name="WISE" /><ref name="Masiero-2011" /> | rotation = {{val|3|}} h<ref name="Polishook-2009a" /> | albedo = {{val|0.196|0.012}}<ref name="WISE" /><ref name="Masiero-2011" /><br />0.21 {{small|(assumed)}}<ref name="lcdb" /> | spectral_type = S<ref name="lcdb" /> | abs_magnitude = 14.2<ref name="jpldata" /><ref name="lcdb" /><ref name="WISE" />{{·}}{{val|14.3|0.4}} {{small|(R)}}<ref name="Polishook-2009a" />{{·}}{{val|14.73|0.25}}<ref name="Veres-2015" /> }}
'''8549 Alcide''', provisional designation {{mp|1994 FS}}, is a stony Nysa asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 30 March 1994, by a group of amateur astronomers at the Farra d'Isonzo Observatory, Italy, near the border to Slovenia.<ref name="MPC-Alcide" /> It was named for Alcide Bittesini, father of co-discoverer Luciano Bittesini.<ref name="springer" />
== Orbit and classification ==
Alcide is a member of the stony subgroup of the Nysa family, one of the smaller families in the main-belt, named after its namesake, 44 Nysa. The body orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.9 astronomical units (AU) once every 3 years and 10 months (1,390 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.<ref name="jpldata" /> Precoveries were taken at Palomar and Steward Observatory (Kitt Peak) just weeks and days prior to the asteroid's official discovery observation at Farra d'Isonzo.<ref name="MPC-Alcide" />
== Physical characteristics ==
=== Lightcurves ===
A rotational lightcurve of Alcide was obtained from photometric observations made by astronomer David Polishook at the ground-based Wise Observatory, Israel, in November 2007. The lightcurve gave a rotation period of {{val|3}} hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.2 magnitude ({{small|U=2-}}).<ref name="Polishook-2009a" />
=== Diameter and albedo ===
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Alcide measures 4.3 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.195,<ref name="WISE" /><ref name="Masiero-2011" /> while the ''Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link'' assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.21 and calculates a diameter of 4.2 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.2.<ref name="lcdb" />
== Naming ==
This minor planet was named for Italian high-school teacher of natural sciences, Alcide Bittesini (1913–1981). He was the father of amateur astronomer Luciano Bittesini, who co-discovered the asteroid with his amateur colleagues at the Farra d'Isonzo Observatory in Italy.<ref name="springer" />
At the age of 9, his father fostered his interest in astronomy, when they observed a comet with a homespun telescope made of a pair of glasses, a tin can and a microscope eyepiece.<ref name="springer" /> The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 February 1999 ({{small|M.P.C. 33791}}).<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive" />
== References == {{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="jpldata">{{cite web |type = 2017-06-05 last obs. |title = JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 8549 Alcide (1994 FS) |url = https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2008549 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200919094616/https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2008549 |archive-date = 19 September 2020 |publisher = Jet Propulsion Laboratory |access-date = 22 June 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="springer">{{cite book |title = Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (8549) Alcide |last = Schmadel | first = Lutz D. |publisher = Springer Berlin Heidelberg |pages = 654–655 |date = 2007 |isbn = 978-3-540-00238-3 |doi = 10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_7079 |chapter = (8549) Alcide }}</ref>
<ref name="MPC-Alcide">{{cite web |title = 8549 Alcide (1994 FS) |work = Minor Planet Center |url = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=8549 |access-date = 7 May 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 |access-date = 7 May 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="lcdb">{{cite LCDB|number = 8549 |access-date = 7 May 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="WISE">{{cite journal |display-authors = 6 |first1 = A. |last1 = Mainzer |first2 = T. |last2 = Grav |first3 = J. |last3 = Masiero |first4 = E. |last4 = Hand |first5 = J. |last5 = Bauer |first6 = D. |last6 = Tholen |first7 = R. S. |last7 = McMillan |first8 = T. |last8 = Spahr |first9 = R. M. |last9 = Cutri |first10 = E. |last10 = Wright |first11 = J. |last11 = Watkins |first12 = W. |last12 = Mo |first13 = C. |last13 = Maleszewski |date = November 2011 |title = NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results |url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2011ApJ...741...90M |journal = The Astrophysical Journal |volume = 741 |issue = 2 |page = 25 |bibcode = 2011ApJ...741...90M |doi = 10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90 |arxiv = 1109.6407 |access-date= 7 May 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="Polishook-2009a">{{cite journal |first1 = D. |last1 = Polishook |first2 = N. |last2 = Brosch |date = February 2009 |title = Photometry and spin rate distribution of small-sized main belt asteroids |url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2009Icar..199..319P |journal = Icarus |volume = 199 |issue = 2 |pages = 319–332 |bibcode = 2009Icar..199..319P |doi = 10.1016/j.icarus.2008.10.020 |arxiv = 0811.1223 |access-date= 7 May 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= 7 May 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="Masiero-2011">{{cite journal |display-authors = 6 |first1 = Joseph R. |last1 = Masiero |first2 = A. K. |last2 = Mainzer |first3 = T. |last3 = Grav |first4 = J. M. |last4 = Bauer |first5 = R. M. |last5 = Cutri |first6 = J. |last6 = Dailey |first7 = P. R. M. |last7 = Eisenhardt |first8 = R. S. |last8 = McMillan |first9 = T. B. |last9 = Spahr |first10 = M. F. |last10 = Skrutskie |first11 = D. |last11 = Tholen |first12 = R. G. |last12 = Walker |first13 = E. L. |last13 = Wright |first14 = E. |last14 = DeBaun |first15 = D. |last15 = Elsbury |first16 = T. IV |last16 = Gautier |first17 = S. |last17 = Gomillion |first18 = A. |last18 = Wilkins |date = November 2011 |title = Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters |url = http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2011ApJ...741...68M |journal = The Astrophysical Journal |volume = 741 |issue = 2 |page = 20 |bibcode = 2011ApJ...741...68M |doi = 10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68 |arxiv = 1109.4096 |access-date= 4 December 2016}}</ref>
}} <!-- 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/NumberedMPs005001.html Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (5001)-(10000)] – Minor Planet Center * {{AstDys|8549}} * {{JPL small body}}
{{Minor planets navigator |8548 Sumizihara |number=8549 |8550 Hesiodos}} {{Small Solar System bodies}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcide}} 008549 008549 Category:Named minor planets 19940330