9968 Serpe

9968 Serpe

Orbits of Serpe (blue), the inner planets and Jupiter (outermost)
Discovery[1]
Discovered by	H. Debehogne
Discovery site	La Silla Obs.
Discovery date	4 May 1992
Designations
MPC designation	(9968) Serpe
Named after	Jean Serpe (Belgian physicist)[2]
Alternative designations	1992 JS2 · 1977 VT 1985 SC2 · 1988 KR1
Minor planet category	main-belt · (middle)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	39.56 yr (14,451 days)
Aphelion	2.6974 AU
Perihelion	2.4354 AU
Semi-major axis	2.5664 AU
Eccentricity	0.0510
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.11 yr (1,502 days)
Mean anomaly	346.96°
Mean motion	0° 14m 22.92s / day
Inclination	12.993°
Longitude of ascending node	213.10°
Argument of perihelion	78.256°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	12.355±0.453 km[3]
Geometric albedo	0.088±0.011[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.0[1]

9968 Serpe, provisional designation 1992 JS₂, is an asteroid from the middle regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. This asteroid was discovered on 4 May 1992, by Belgian astronomer Henri Debehogne at ESO's La Silla Observatory in northern Chile. It was named after Belgian theoretical-physicist Jean Serpe,^[2] professor at University of Liège and member of the RASAB.^[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 17 May 2011 (M.P.C. 75102).^[4]

Serpe orbits the Sun in the middle main-belt at a distance of 2.4–2.7 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,502 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 13° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1] In 1977, it was first observed as 1977 VT at Cerro El Roble Station in Argentina, extending the body's observation arc by 15 years prior to its official discovery at La Silla.^[2]

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 12.355 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.088.^[3] As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve has been obtained of Serpe. The body's rotation period and shape, as well as its spectral type remain unknown.^[1][5]