2213 Meeus, provisional designation 1935 SO1, is a bright background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1935, by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle.[1] The presumed S-type asteroid has a short rotation period of 2.65 hours.[4] It was named for Belgian amateur astronomer and meteorologist Jean Meeus.[1]

2213 Meeus
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. Delporte
Discovery siteUccle Obs.
Discovery date24 September 1935
Designations
(2213) Meeus
Named after
Jean Meeus[1]
(Belgian astronomer)
1935 SO1 · 1958 XM
1961 TG · 1974 RB
main-belt[1][2] · (inner)
background[3] · Flora[4]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc82.34 yr (30,075 d)
Aphelion2.6972 AU
Perihelion1.6983 AU
2.1977 AU
Eccentricity0.2273
3.26 yr (1,190 d)
126.11°
0° 18m 9s / day
Inclination5.3321°
126.93°
222.18°
Physical characteristics
4.59±0.28 km[5]
4.889±0.028 km[6]
5.194±0.032 km[7]
5.67 km (calculated)[4]
2.651±0.001 h[8]
0.24 (assumed)[4]
0.3467±0.0219[7]
0.439±0.042[5]
S (assumed)[4]
13.12±0.08[8]
13.20[5][7]
13.34±0.36[9]
13.4[2][4]

Orbit and classification

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Meeus is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population when applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements.[3] Based on osculating Keplerian orbital elements, the asteroid has also been classified as a member of the Flora family (402), a giant asteroid family and the largest family of stony asteroids in the main-belt.[4]

It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.7–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,190 days; semi-major axis of 2.2 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Uccle in 1935.[1]

Physical characteristics

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Meeus is an assumed stony S-type asteroid.[4]

Rotation period

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In August 2013, a rotational lightcurve of Meeus was obtained from photometric observations by Italian astronomers of the Tuscolana Association of Astronomy (D06). Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 2.651 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.19 magnitude (U=3-).[4][8]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Meeus measures between 4.59 and 5.194 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo between 0.3467 and 0.439.[5][6][7]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the parent body of the Flora family – and calculates a diameter of 5.67 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 13.4.[4]

Naming

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This minor planet was named after Belgian amateur astronomer and professional meteorologist Jean Meeus (born 1928), who, in 1986, received the Amateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.[1] The official naming was proposed by Eric S. Fogelin (see 2181), Jay U. Gunter and Edward Bowell, and published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 August 1981 (M.P.C. 6208).[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "2213 Meeus (1935 SO1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2213 Meeus (1935 SO1)" (2018-01-26 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Asteroid 2213 Meeus". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "LCDB Data for (2213) Meeus". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ a b Masiero, 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. S2CID 119293330.
  7. ^ 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. S2CID 35447010. (catalog)
  8. ^ a b c Tomassini, Angelo; Cervoni, Maurizio; Scardella, Maurizio (January 2014). "Rotational Period and H-G Parameters for Asteroid 2213 Meeus". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 41 (1): 19. Bibcode:2014MPBu...41...19T. ISSN 1052-8091.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
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