Fun_People Archive
15 Nov
Without Comment


Date: Wed, 15 Nov 95 11:50:23 -0800
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Without Comment

[Without Comment?  No, I can't resist, but suffice it to say there are errors  
in the following... -psl]

Forwarded-by: bostic@bsdi.com (Keith Bostic)
Subject: Without Comment 
Forwarded-by: Berry Kercheval <kerch@parc.xerox.com>
Forwarded-by: Les Niles <niles@parc.xerox.com>
Forwarded-by: Alan Soicher <soicher@mano.soest.hawaii.edu>

Dear Folks:

Thanks to the generosity of Professor Tom Gehrels of the Lunar and Planetary
Laboratory at the University of Arizona (he provided the asteroid), Simon
Radford (NRAO, Tucson) and I (Steward Observatory) were able to propose that
an asteroid be named after the late Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. The
official citation, published in Minor Planet Circular 25976, follows below.

Brian Marsden informs me that a recent orbit solution was published in MPC
16219, and he sent me his own unpublished orbital solution.  I will append
that after the citation.

Edward Olszewski (edo@as.arizona.edu)
__________________________________________________________________________

(4442) Garcia = 1985 RB1
     Discovered 1985 Sept. 14 by Spacewatch at Kitt Peak.
     Named in memory of Jerry Garcia (1942-1995), lead guitarist for the
``Grateful Dead''.  He was also a superb banjo player and steel pedal
guitar player.  His recorded works embrace many styles, among them
rock-and-roll, bluegrass and country, and experimental electronic music.
Garcia and the Grateful Dead have also sought to preserve endangered and
underappreciated music.  Garcia was best known for his consummate
musicianship and for live performance and improvisations.  Those embracing
Garcia's music have now spanned several generations, attesting to the
quality and timelessness of his music.  Name proposed by T. Gehrels,
following a suggestion by S. Radford.  Citation prepared by E. Olszewski
and S. Radford.
____________________________________________________________________________

      The object's numbering and most recent orbit solution were published
in 1990 on MPC 16219 for the osculation epoch 1990 Nov. 5 (and equinox
B1950.0).  Updated J2000.0 values and for a current epoch are published in
the 1995 edition of "Efemeridy Malykh Planet" (ITA, St. Peterburg), but I
give here our own unpublished (and very slightly different) version:

 (4442) 1985 RB1 = 1988 BC5
Epoch 1995 Oct. 10.0 TT = JDT 2450000.5  (M-P)          Williams, MPC 16219
M 151.32536              (2000.0)            P               Q
n   0.19015057     Peri.  264.62589     -0.94642778     +0.20526230
a   2.9950515      Node   287.03770     -0.07297125     -0.88795321
e   0.2500688      Incl.   15.11310     -0.31456263     -0.41159019
P   5.18           H    12.4          G   0.15

     The object was at opposition on Sept. 6 so is now moving over into
the evening sky.  Here is an ephemeris for the next month:

Date    TT    R. A. (2000) Decl.     Delta      r     Elong.  Phase     V
1995 10 10    22 34.83   +10 39.6    2.830    3.684   143.9     9.2    18.1
1995 10 20    22 31.20   +09 49.4    2.927    3.692   134.3    11.1    18.3
1995 10 30    22 29.42   +09 04.5    3.044    3.699   124.6    12.8    18.4
1995 11 09    22 29.54   +08 27.9    3.176    3.706   115.0    14.0    18.6
1995 11 19    22 31.43   +08 01.2    3.319    3.712   105.7    14.9    18.7
1995 11 29    22 34.98   +07 45.3    3.470    3.717    96.8    15.3    18.8
1995 12 09    22 40.00   +07 40.6    3.622    3.722    88.1    15.3    18.9


[=] © 1995 Peter Langston []