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45737 Benita
45737 Benita (provisional designation 2000 HB) is a bright asteroid located in the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It has an estimated diameter of approximately 5 kilometers. The asteroid was discovered on April 22, 2000, by Bruce Segal, an American amateur astronomer, at the Florida Atlantic University's Jupiter Observatory (837) in Boca Raton, Florida.[1][5] Orbit and classificationBenita is a non-family asteroid that belongs to the background population of the main belt.[3] It orbits the Sun in the outer region of the asteroid belt, at a distance of 3.0–3.3 AU. It completes one orbit around the Sun every 5 years and 9 months (2,087 days) with a semi-major axis of approximately 3.20 AU. The orbit of Benita is slightly eccentric, with an eccentricity of 0.05, and it is inclined at an angle of 10° with respect to the ecliptic plane.[1] The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Lincoln Laboratory's ETS, New Mexico, on 30 October 1997.[5] Physical characteristicsDiameter and albedoAccording to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Benita measures 5.121 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.294.[4] Rotation periodAs of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Benita has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.[6] NamingThe discoverer named this minor planet after his wife, Benita Segal (born 1964), a major supporter of the observatory.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 November 2002 (M.P.C. 47170).[7] References
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