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 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 89.60 yr (32,727 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.4622 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0180 AU |
| 2.2401 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0991 |
| 3.35 yr (1,225 days) | |
| 203.42° | |
| Inclination | 6.9888° |
| 48.018° | |
| 160.81° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
7.947±0.037 km[4] 8.19 km (calculated)[3] |
| 2.754 h[5] | |
|
0.2138±0.0580[4] 0.24 (assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
| 12.6[1] | |
|
| |
2500 Alascattalo, provisional designation 1926 GC, is a stony 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.[6]
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 shows an eccentricity of 0.10 and is tilted by 7 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. It has a rotation period of 2.8 hours[5] and an albedo of 0.21, according to observations by the NEOWISE mission of the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.[4]
The minor planet was named for Alaska's mythical beast, supposedly a cross between a moose and a walrus and genetically bred by miners during the Alaska Gold Rush around 1900. The alascattalo is also the epitome of Alaska’s unique sense of humor, "absurding", which is the Alaskan way of dealing with tourists who ask stupid questions. A parade, lasting just four minutes and extending just one block down an alley, is held each year at three minutes past noon on Alascattalo Day, the first Sunday after the third Saturday in November.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2500 Alascattalo (1926 GC)" (2015-11-13 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved December 2015.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2500) Alascattalo. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 204. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved December 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "LCDB Data for (2500) Alascattalo". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved December 2015.
- 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 December 2015.
- 1 2 Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (2500) Alascattalo". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved December 2015.
- ↑ "2500 Alascattalo (1926 GC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved December 2015.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 2500 Alascattalo at the JPL Small-Body Database
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