1171 Rusthawelia, provisional designation 1930 TA, is a large and dark background asteroid, approximately 72 kilometers (45 miles) in diameter, located in the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 3 October 1930, by Belgian astronomer Sylvain Arend at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle, and was an unnoticed rediscovery of a lost minor planet then known as "Adelaide".[1] As the asteroid was already named for Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli when the rediscovery was realized, its former designation was given to another asteroid instead, which is now known as 525 Adelaide.[2] Rusthawelia is a primitive P-type asteroid and has a rotation period of 11 hours.

1171 Rusthawelia
Shape model of Rusthawelia from its lightcurve
Discovery[1]
Discovered byS. Arend
Discovery siteUccle Obs.
Discovery date3 October 1930
Designations
(1171) Rusthawelia
Named after
Shota Rustaveli
(Georgian poet)[2]
1930 TA · 1926 AD
1926 FH · 1927 FC
1949 BT · A904 EB
A913 TA
main-belt · (outer)[3]
background[4]
Orbital characteristics[5]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc113.85 yr (41,584 d)
Aphelion3.7970 AU
Perihelion2.5779 AU
3.1875 AU
Eccentricity0.1912
5.69 yr (2,079 d)
175.66°
0° 10m 23.52s / day
Inclination3.0731°
121.78°
290.57°
Physical characteristics
68.67±16.71 km[6]
70.13±2.3 km[7]
70.216±1.560 km[8]
70.98±2.42 km[9]
72.09±1.19 km[10]
72.38±20.19 km[11]
82.229±1.004 km[12]
Mass(1.81±0.20)×1018 kg[9]
Mean density
9.66±1.45 g/cm3[9]
10.80±0.01 h[13]
10.98±0.01 h[14]
11.013±0.003 h[15]
0.029±0.003[12]
0.038±0.002[10]
0.0393±0.0051[8]
0.0394±0.003[7]
0.04±0.02[6][11]
Tholen = P[3][5] · P[8]
B–V = 0.678[5]
U–B = 0.255[5]
9.89[11]
9.90[3][5][6][7][8][10][12]
9.94±0.16[16]

Unnoticed rediscovery of lost asteroid

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When Arend discovered Rusthawelia in 1930, it was not realized that he rediscovered the long-lost asteroid "525 Adelaide". It was already discovered 26 years earlier as A904 EB by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in March 1904, who observed it for a short time during the discovery opposition before it became lost. Only decades later, in 1958, it was shown by French astronomer André Patry that both asteroid's discovered by Wolf and Arend were one and the same (M.P.C. 1831). It was then decided that this asteroid retains the number–name designation "1171 Rusthawelia", while 525 Adelaide was vacated and given to another asteroid (which was the object 1908 EKa, discovered by Joel Hastings Metcalf).[5][17]

Another confusion occurred in 1929, one year before Arend's discovery, when American astronomer Anne Sewell Young thought to have found long-lost "Adelide", when in fact she mistook the asteroid for comet 31P/Schwassmann–Wachmann that had a very similar orbital eccentricity.[18]

Orbit and classification

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Rusthawelia is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[4] It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.6–3.8 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,079 days; semi-major axis of 3.19 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[5] The body's observation arc begins as A904 EB at Heidelberg in March 1904, when it was discovered by Max Wolf (see above).[1]

Naming

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This minor planet was named for medieval Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli (შოთა რუსთაველი, c. 1160 – after c. 1220). The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 109).[2]

Physical characteristics

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Rusthawelia is a dark and primitive P-type asteroid, as characterized by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE),[8] and classified by Tholen.[5][3]

Rotation period

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In October and November 2003, two rotational lightcurves of Rusthawelia were obtained from photometric observations by John Menke at his observatory in Barnesville, Maryland, and by a group of American astronomers. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 10.80 and 10.98 hours and a brightness variation of 0.31 and 0.26 magnitude, respectively (U=3/3).[13][14] A third, concurring period of 11.013 hours with an amplitude of 0.26 magnitude was obtained by French amateur astronomer René Roy in February 2005 (U=3).[15]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's WISE telescope, Rusthawelia measures between 68.67 and 82.23 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.029 and 0.04.[6][7][8][10][11][12] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.0394 and a diameter of 70.13 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 9.90.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "1171 Rusthawelia (1930 TA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1171) Rusthawelia". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1171) Rusthawelia. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 98–99. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1172. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e "LCDB Data for (1171) Rusthawelia". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Asteroid 1171 Rusthawelia – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1171 Rusthawelia (1930 TA)" (2018-01-20 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Masiero, J.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; et al. (December 2015). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year One: Preliminary Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 814 (2): 13. arXiv:1509.02522. Bibcode:2015ApJ...814..117N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/117. S2CID 9341381. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System. 12: IRAS-A-FPA-3-RDR-IMPS-V6.0. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f 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. S2CID 35447010.
  9. ^ a b c Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, 73 (1): 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009, S2CID 119226456 See Table 1.
  10. ^ a b c d 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. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
  11. ^ a b c d Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Kramer, E. A.; Grav, T.; et al. (September 2016). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year Two: Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (3): 12. arXiv:1606.08923. Bibcode:2016AJ....152...63N. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/3/63.
  12. ^ a b c d Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. S2CID 46350317. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  13. ^ a b Menke, John L. (September 2005). "Lightcurves and periods for asteroids 471 Papagena, 675 Ludmilla, 1016 Anitra, 1127 Mimi, 1165 Imprinetta, 1171 Rustahawelia, and 2283 Bunke" (PDF). Minor Planet Bulletin. 32 (3): 64–66. Bibcode:2005MPBu...32...64M. ISSN 1052-8091.
  14. ^ a b Ivarsen, Kevin; Willis, Sarah; Ingleby, Laura; Matthews, Dan; Simet, Melanie (June 2004). "CCD observations and period determination of fifteen minor planets" (PDF). Minor Planet Bulletin. 31 (2): 29–33. Bibcode:2004MPBu...31...29I. ISSN 1052-8091.
  15. ^ a b Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1171) Rusthawelia". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  16. ^ 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. S2CID 53493339. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  17. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(525) Adelaide". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (525) Adelaide. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 56. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_526. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  18. ^ "Long 'Lost' Planet Found Masquerading as Comet". Oakland Tribune. 21 June 1929. p. 31. Retrieved 9 November 2017 – via Newspapers.com.  
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