1298 Nocturna, provisional designation 1934 AE, is a dark asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 40 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 January 1934, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.[12] The asteroid's name is the Feminine adjective of nocturnus, "nightly".[3]

1298 Nocturna
Discovery[1]
Discovered byK. Reinmuth
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date7 January 1934
Designations
(1298) Nocturna
Pronunciation/nɒkˈtɜːrnə/[2]
Named after
nocturnus[3]
(Lat. nocturnal; nightly)
1934 AE · A904 RA
main-belt · (outer)[4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc112.66 yr (41,149 days)
Aphelion3.5931 AU
Perihelion2.6577 AU
3.1254 AU
Eccentricity0.1496
5.53 yr (2,018 days)
151.34°
0° 10m 42.24s / day
Inclination5.4892°
299.99°
58.719°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions37.80±0.73 km[5]
37.802±0.727 km[5]
39.93 km (derived)[4]
40.04±2.0 km[6]
41.09±13.75 km[7]
42.79±0.88 km[8]
44.62±12.27 km[9]
34.80±0.07 h[10]
0.04±0.02[9]
0.04±0.03[7]
0.0441 (derived)[4]
0.051±0.002[8]
0.054±0.010[5]
0.0578±0.006[6]
X[11] · C[4]
10.70[6][8] · 10.90[5] · 11.00[1][4][7] · 11.03[9] · 11.16±0.32[11]

Orbit and classification

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Nocturna is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.7–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 6 months (2,018 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The asteroid was first identified as A904 RA at Heidelberg in September 1904. The body's observation arc begins 30 years later, with its official discovery observation at Heidelberg in 1934.[12]

Physical characteristics

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Nocturna has been characterized as an X-type asteroid by PanSTARRS photometric survey.[11] It is also an assumed carbonaceous C-type asteroid.[4]

Rotation period

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In February 2006, a rotational lightcurve of Nocturna was obtained from photometric observations by French amateur astronomer René Roy. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 34.80 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.11 magnitude (U=2).[10] Nocturna has a longer-than-average period, as most asteroids rotate within less than 20 hours once around their axis.

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 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Nocturna measures between 37.80 and 44.62 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.04 and 0.0578.[5][6][7][8][9]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0441 and a diameter of 39.93 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.0.[4]

Naming

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This minor planet was named "Nocturna" after the feminine adjective of nocturnus which means "nightly". The name was proposed by German astronomer Gustave Stracke after whom an entire sequence of asteroids, (1227) to (1234), had been named indirectly. The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 119).[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1298 Nocturna (1934 AE)" (2017-05-06 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  2. ^ "nocturnal". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1298) Nocturna". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1298) Nocturna. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 107. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1299. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (1298) Nocturna". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e 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 14 September 2017.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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 14 September 2017.
  8. ^ 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)
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1298) Nocturna". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  11. ^ a b c 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 14 September 2017.
  12. ^ a b "1298 Nocturna (1934 AE)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
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