2500 Alascattalo

2500 Alascattalo
Discovery [1]
Discovered by K. Reinmuth
Discovery site Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date 2 April 1926
Designations
MPC designation 2500 Alascattalo
Named after
 Alascattalo
(mythological creature)[2]
1926 GC · 1927 TA
1946 FB · 1981 VD
main-belt · Flora [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 90.03 yr (32,883 days)
Aphelion 2.4632 AU
Perihelion 2.0183 AU
2.2407 AU
Eccentricity 0.0993
3.35 yr (1,225 days)
321.1815°
0° 17m 37.68s / day
Inclination 6.9888°
48.0102°
160.6467°
Earth MOID 1.01295 AU
Jupiter MOID 2.49944 AU
Jupiter Tisserand parameter 3.619
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 7.947±0.037 km[4]
8.19 km (calculated)[3]
2.751±0.002 h[5]
2.754±0.007 h[6]
0.2138±0.0580[4]
0.24 (assumed)[3]
S [3]
12.6[1][3]
12.8[4]
12.94±0.30[7]

    2500 Alascattalo, provisional designation 1926 GC, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany, on 2 April 1926.[8]

    The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,225 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] No precoveries were obtained prior to its discovery.[8]

    A rotational light-curve of this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations made by Junda Liu at the Lvye Observatory (P34), China, and at the iTelescope Observatory (Q62), at the Siding Spring Observatory site, Australia, in December 2015. The light-curve gave a well-defined rotation period of 2.751±0.002 hours with a brightness variation of 0.19 in magnitude (U=3-).[5] A previous light-curve with a concurring period of 2.754±0.007 hours and a similar amplitude of 0.15 was already obtained by French amateur astronomer Pierre Antonini in March 2013 (U=2).[6]

    According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 7.9 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.21,[4] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – which derives from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of this orbital family – and calculates a diameter of 8.2 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 12.6.[3]

    The minor planet was named after the mythological creature "Alascattalo", a fictional chimera between a moose and a walrus. According to legend, it was genetically bred by miners during the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 19th century. The alascattalo also stands for the local people's unique sense of humor, dealing with tourists who ask naive questions, and is the mascot of the four-minute long, annual parade on "Alascattalo Day" held in November.[2] Naming citation was published on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19332).[9]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2500 Alascattalo (1926 GC)" (2016-04-17 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2500) Alascattalo. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 204. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (2500) Alascattalo". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 7 May 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 4 Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407Freely accessible. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
    5. 1 2 Liu, Junda (April 2016). "Rotation Period Analysis for 2500 Alascattalo". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 43 (2): 111–112. Bibcode:2016MPBu...43..111L. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
    6. 1 2 Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (2500) Alascattalo". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
    7. ↑ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762Freely accessible. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
    8. 1 2 "2500 Alascattalo (1926 GC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
    9. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 May 2016.

    External links

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