200388EC

200388EC is a fictional designation used in educational material to illustrate how minor-planet naming conventions are applied in astronomical databases. The object described here does not correspond to a real, cataloged body; it serves as a teaching example of workflow from discovery to designation and public data availability.

In the illustrative scenario, 200388EC is a small, stony asteroid estimated to be 3–5 kilometers in diameter. Assumptions common in such examples place its albedo around 0.15 and its absolute magnitude in the mid-teens, yielding the diameter estimate. The hypothetical composition is described as predominantly silicate-rich, consistent with S-type asteroids found in the inner to middle regions of the main belt.

Discovery and designation in the example follow standard practice used for teaching. Observations are credited to a fictional survey program, with initial detections reported in 2003 and subsequent follow-up imaging from multiple observatories to secure a reliable orbit. The composite string “200388EC” in this context is a pedagogical construct to demonstrate how provisional and permanent designations are represented in datasets, rather than a real object’s official naming sequence.

Orbit and dynamics in the fictional model place 200388EC in a main-belt-like orbit with a semi-major axis around 2.6 AU, modest eccentricity near 0.12, and a low inclination of about 5–7 degrees. Its orbital period is near four years.

Significance: the example highlights data provenance, observational arc requirements, and how lightcurve and spectral data feed into physical characterizations, illustrating typical uncertainties and the process by which a real object would eventually receive a formal numeric designation.

See also: Minor planet designation, Provisional designation, Asteroid belt.