2037 Tripaxeptalis, provisional designation 1973 UB, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter.
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | P. Wild |
| Discovery site | Zimmerwald Obs. |
| Discovery date | 25 October 1973 |
| Designations | |
| (2037) Tripaxeptalis | |
Named after | Tripaxeptalis (fantasy name) (3 × 679 Pax = 7 × 291 Alice)[2] |
| 1973 UB · A917 SN | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 43.52 yr (15,894 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.6046 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9996 AU |
| 2.3021 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1314 |
| 3.49 yr (1,276 days) | |
| 235.93° | |
| 0° 16m 55.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.2509° |
| 9.5018° | |
| 346.18° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 5.956±0.213 km[4][5] 6.21 km (calculated)[3] |
| 2.33±0.01 h[6] | |
| 0.198±0.032[4][5] 0.24 (assumed)[3] | |
| S [3] | |
| 13.2[1][3] · 13.44±0.12[7] · 13.5[4] | |
It was discovered on 25 October 1973, by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild at Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland.[8] The asteroid's constructed name "Tripaxeptalis" derives from a numbers game with the asteroids 679 Pax and 291 Alice.[2]
Orbit and classification
editTripaxeptalis is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest collisional populations of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,276 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
In September 1917, the asteroid was first identified as A917 SN at Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Zimmerwald.[8]
Physical characteristics
editRotation period
editIn January 2006, a rotational lightcurve of Tripaxeptalis was obtained from photometric observations by astronomer Adrián Galád at Modra Observatory in Slovakia. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 2.33 hours with a brightness variation of 0.10 magnitude (U=2). The ambiguous lightcurve gave an alternative period solution of 2.23 hours and an amplitude of 0.10.[6]
Diameter and albedo
editAccording to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Tripaxeptalis measures 5.956 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.198.[4][5] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of its family – and calculates a diameter of 6.21 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 13.2.[3]
Naming
editThis minor planet's constructed name "Tripaxeptalis" (tri–Pax–hepta–Alice) refers to the fact that its number, 2037, matches 3 × 679 Pax as well as 7 × 291 Alice.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 June 1980 (M.P.C. 5359).[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2037 Tripaxeptalis (1973 UB)" (2017-05-01 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2037) Tripaxeptalis". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2037) Tripaxeptalis. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 165. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2038. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
- ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (2037) Tripaxeptalis". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ a b Galad, Adrian (March 2008). "Several Byproduct Targets of Photometric Observations at Modra". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 35 (1): 17–21. Bibcode:2008MPBu...35...17G. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ 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:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ a b "2037 Tripaxeptalis (1973 UB)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 28 June 2017.