1052 Belgica,provisional designation1925 VD,is abinaryFlorianasteroidfrom the inner regions of theasteroid belt,approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 November 1925, by Belgian astronomerEugène DelporteatUccle Observatoryin Belgium.[12]It was the first minor planet discovered at Uccle Observatory, after which the minor planet1276 Uccliawas named.
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. Delporte |
| Discovery site | Uccle Obs. |
| Discovery date | 15 November 1925 |
| Designations | |
| (1052) Belgica | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛldʒɪkə/[2] |
Named after | Belgium(country)[3] |
| 1925 VD·1965 UO1 A908 TB | |
| main-belt·Flora[4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch16 February 2017 (JD2457800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter0 | |
| Observation arc | 108.27 yr (39,545 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5565AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9166 AU |
| 2.2366 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1431 |
| 3.34yr(1,222 days) | |
| 120.60° | |
| 0° 17m40.92s/ day | |
| Inclination | 4.6949° |
| 99.631° | |
| 297.54° | |
| Knownsatellites | 1[5][6][7] |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 9.785±0.123km[8] 10.406±0.077km[9] 10.94 km(derived)[4] 11±2km[6] |
| 2.70933±0.0003h[10] 2.7097±0.0001h[5] 2.7097±0.0001h[6] | |
| 0.20(assumed)[4] 0.2734±0.0736[9] 0.301±0.028[8] | |
| B–V= 0.900[1] U–B= 0.540[1] S(Tholen)[1]·S(SMASS)[1] S[4] | |
| 11.97[1][9]·12.09±0.25[11]·12.17±0.05[4][6] | |
1052 is named after the Western European state ofBelgium.[3]
Classification and orbit
editBelgicais a member of theFlora family,one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.9–2.6AUonce every 3 years and 4 months (1,222 days). Its orbit has aneccentricityof 0.14 and aninclinationof 5°with respect to theecliptic.[1]Belgicawas first identified asA908 TBatHeidelbergin 1908. The body'sobservation arcbegins with its first used observation taken at Uccle/Bergedorfin 1933, or 8 years after its official discovery at Uccle.[12]
Physical characteristics
editIn both theTholenandSMASStaxonomy,Belgicais classified as a common stonyS-type asteroid.[1]
Rotation period
editBetween December 2012, and January 2013, photometric observations ofBelgicawere taken at several observatories in Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain and the United States by astronomers Luis Martinez, Lorenzo Franco, Andrea Ferrero, Petr Pravec, and Stefano Padovan. They gave three concurringlightcurveswith arotation periodof 2.709 hours and a brightness variation of 0.08 to 0.10magnitude,indicating a nearly spheroidal shape for the asteroid's body (U=2/3/n.a.).
Satellite
editThe photometric observations also revealed, thatBelgicais abinary systemwith anasteroid moon,approximately 36% the diameter of its primary,orbitingit every47.26±0.02hours.[5][6]Johnston's archive derives a diameter of 3.53 kilometers and estimates asemi-major axisof 34 kilometer for the moon.[7]
Diameter and albedo
editAccording to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorerwith its subsequentNEOWISEmission,Belgicameasures 9.78 and 10.406 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedoof 0.301 and 0.273, respectively,[8][9]while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Linkassumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and derives a diameter of 10.94 kilometers with anabsolute magnitudeof 12.17.[4]This agrees with the estimated diameter of11±2kilometers by Franco et al.[6]
Naming
editThisminor planetwas named in honor of the state ofBelgium.The name "Belgica" was suggested during the height ofWorld War Iby American astronomerJoel Hastings Metcalf,but the Director of the GermanAstronomisches Rechen-Institutin Berlin,Fritz Cohn,rejected the proposal based on political considerations, as Belgium wasoccupiedby German troops at the time.[3]
In hisDictionary of Minor Planets Names,astronomerLutz Schmadeldescribed this piece of history involving minor planet names in detail. Naming citation was first mentioned inThe Names of the Minor PlanetsbyPaul Hergetin 1955 (H 100).[3]
References
edit- ^abcdefghi"JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1052 Belgica (1925 VD)"(2017-01-09 last obs.).Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^"Belgic".Oxford English Dictionary(Online ed.).Oxford University Press.(Subscription orparticipating institution membershiprequired.)
- ^abcdSchmadel, Lutz D. (2003)."(1052) Belgica".Dictionary of Minor Planet Names.Springer Berlin Heidelberg.p. 90.doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1053.ISBN978-3-540-29925-7.
- ^abcdef"LCDB Data for (1052) Belgica".Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB).Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^abcFranco, L.; Pravec, P.; Ferrero, A.; Martinez, L. (January 2013)."(1052) Belgica".Central Bureau Electronic Telegrams.3372(3372): 1.Bibcode:2013CBET.3372....1F.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^abcdefFranco, Lorenzo; Ferrero, Andrea; Martinez, Luis; Pravec, Petr; Padovan, Stefano (July 2013)."Binary Nature for the Asteroid 1052 Belgica".The Minor Planet Bulletin.40(3): 151–153.Bibcode:2013MPBu...40..151F.ISSN1052-8091.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^abJohnston, Robert (21 September 2014)."(1052) Belgica".johnstonsarchive.net.Retrieved10 April2017.
- ^abcMasiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014)."Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos".The Astrophysical Journal.791(2): 11.arXiv:1406.6645.Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M.doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^abcdMainzer, 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.
- ^Behrend, Raoul."Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1052) Belgica".Geneva Observatory.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^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.Retrieved27 January2017.
- ^ab"1052 Belgica (1925 VD)".Minor Planet Center.Retrieved27 January2017.
External links
edit- Asteroids with Satellites,Robert Johnston, johnstonsarchive.net
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB),query form (infoArchived16 December 2017 at theWayback Machine)
- 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
- 1052 BelgicaatAstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 1052 Belgicaat theJPL Small-Body Database
