131 Vala

131 Vala
Discovery[1]
Discovered by Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
Discovery date May 24, 1873
Designations
Main belt[1]
Orbital characteristics
Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
Aphelion 388.147 Gm (2.595 AU)
Perihelion 339.381 Gm (2.269 AU)
363.764 Gm (2.432 AU)
Eccentricity 0.06679
1384.969 d (3.79 a)
19.08 km/s
101.289°
Inclination 4.958°
65.772°
159.106°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 40.4 km[1]
Mass 6.9×1016 kg
0.0113 m/s²
0.0214 km/s
5.18 hr[1]
Temperature ~178 K
Spectral type
 K[2] (Bus)
10.03[1]

    131 Vala is an inner main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on May 24, 1873, and named after Völva, a prophetess in Norse mythology.[3] One observation of an occultation of a star by Vala is from Italy (May 26, 2002). 10-µm radiometric data collected from Kitt Peak in 1975 gave a diameter estimate of 34 km.[4]

    In the Tholen classification system, it is categorized as an SU-type asteroid, while the Bus asteroid taxonomy system lists it as an K-type asteroid.[2] Photometric observations of this asteroid during 2007 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico were used to create a "nearly symmetric bimodal" light curve plot. This showed a rotation period of 10.359 ± 0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.09 ± 0.02 magnitude during each cycle.[5] The result is double the 5.18 hour period reported in the JPL Small-Body Database.[1]

    On 2028-Apr-05, Vala will pass 0.0276 AU (4,130,000 km; 2,570,000 mi) from asteroid 2 Pallas.[6]

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 131 Vala" (2011-10-20 last obs (arc=138 years)). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 DeMeo, Francesca E. et al. (July 2009), "An extension of the Bus asteroid taxonomy into the near-infrared" (PDF), Icarus 202 (1): 160–180, Bibcode:2009Icar..202..160D, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.02.005, retrieved 2013-04-08. See appendix A.
    3. ↑ Schmadel, Lutz D.; International Astronomical Union (2003). Dictionary of minor planet names. Berlin; New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 27. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
    4. ↑ Morrison, D.; Chapman, C. R. (March 1976), "Radiometric diameters for an additional 22 asteroids", Astrophysical Journal 204: 934–939, Bibcode:2008mgm..conf.2594S, doi:10.1142/9789812834300_0469.
    5. ↑ Pilcher, Frederick (June 2008), "Period Determination for 84 Klio, 98 Ianthe, 102 Miriam 112 Iphigenia, 131 Vala, and 650 Amalasuntha", Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers 35 (2): 71–72, Bibcode:2008MPBu...35...71P, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009.
    6. ↑ "JPL Close-Approach Data: 131 Vala" (2011-10-20 last obs (arc=138 years)). Retrieved 2011-12-07.

    External links