1299 Mertona

1299 Mertona
Discovery [1]
Discovered by G. Reiss
Discovery site Algiers Observatory
Discovery date 18 January 1934
Designations
MPC designation 1299 Mertona
Named after
 Gerald Merton
(astronomer)[2]
1934 BA
main-belt · (outer) [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 81.56 yr (29,788 days)
Aphelion 3.3317 AU
Perihelion 2.2685 AU
2.8001 AU
Eccentricity 0.1898
4.69 yr (1,711 days)
160.26°
Inclination 7.8758°
165.61°
260.56°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 14.90±1.23 km[4]
14.575±0.119 km[5]
27.90 km (calculated)[3]
4.977 h[6]
4.981±0.002 h[7]
4.978±0.002 h[8]
4.9787±0.0013 h[9]
0.219±0.038[4]
0.2304±0.0387[5]
0.057 (assumed)[3]
C [3]
11.5[10]

    1299 Mertona, provisional designation 1934 BA, is an assumed carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, about 15 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 January 1934 by French astronomer Guy Reiss at the North African Algiers Observatory in Algeria.[11]

    The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.3–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,711 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.19 and is tilted by 8 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. It has a well-defined rotation period of 4.98 hours.[6][7][8][9] While observations by the space-based Akari and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer gave a geometric albedo of 0.22 and 0.23, respectively, the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes the body to be a darker, carbonaceous C-type asteroid with an albedo of only 0.06.[4][5] Based on this assumption, the body's calculated diameter would be much larger, about 28 kilometers.[3]

    The asteroid was named after English astronomer Gerald Merton (1893–1983),[2] who was president of the British Astronomical Association between 1950 and 1952.[12]

    References

    1. 1 2 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1299 Mertona (1934 BA)" (2015-08-09 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved November 2015.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1299) Mertona. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 107. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved November 2015.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 "LCDB Data for (1299) Mertona". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved November 2015.
    4. 1 2 3 Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. Retrieved November 2015.
    5. 1 2 3 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:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved November 2015.
    6. 1 2 Monson, Andy; Kipp, Steven (December 2004). "Corrigendum: Rotational periods of asteroids 1165 Imprinetta, 1299 Mertona 1645 Waterfield, 1833 Shmakova, 2313 Aruna, and (13856) 1999 XZ105". Bulletin of the Minor Planets (Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers) 31 (4): 97. Bibcode:2004MPBu...31...97M. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved November 2015.
    7. 1 2 Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1299) Mertona". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved November 2015.
    8. 1 2 Klinglesmith, Daniel A., III; Hanowell, Jesse; Risley, Ethan; Turk, Janek; Vargas, Angelica; Warren, Curtis Alan (July 2014). "Lightcurves for Inversion Model Candidates". Bulletin of the Minor Planets (Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers) 41 (3): 139–143. Bibcode:2014MPBu...41..139K. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved November 2015.
    9. 1 2 Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved November 2015.
    10. ↑ Tholen (2007). "Asteroid Absolute Magnitudes". EAR-A-5-DDR-ASTERMAG-V11.0. Planetary Data System. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
    11. ↑ "1299 Mertona (1934 BA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved November 2015.
    12. ↑ British Astronomical Association List of Members, 1969 April 30, London: British Astronomical Association, 1969, p. 116

    External links


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