1050 Meta

1050 Meta, provisional designation 1925 RC, is a stony Eunomia asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 14 September 1925, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.[1] The meaning of the asteroids's name is unknown.[2] The presumably S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 6.14 hours and possibly an elongated shape.[4]

1050 Meta
Modelled shape of Meta from its lightcurve
Discovery [1]
Discovered byK. Reinmuth
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date14 September 1925
Designations
(1050) Meta
Named after
unknown[2]
1925 RC · A908 SE
main-belt [1][3] · (middle)
Eunomia [4][5]
Orbital characteristics [3]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc108.68 yr (39,694 d)
Aphelion3.0904 AU
Perihelion2.1599 AU
2.6252 AU
Eccentricity0.1772
4.25 yr (1,554 d)
233.12°
0° 13m 54.12s / day
Inclination12.496°
342.33°
66.282°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
8.773±0.115 km[6]
9.196±0.079 km[7]
10.03±0.65 km[8]
10.53 km (calculated)[4]
6.14188±0.00001 h[9]
6.142±0.001 h[10]
0.21 (assumed)[4]
0.294±0.042[8]
0.3346±0.0284[7]
0.364±0.062[6]
S (assumed)[4]
12.00[7][8] · 12.2[3][4]
12.34±0.09[11]

    Orbit and classification

    Meta is a member of the Eunomia family (502),[4][5] a prominent family of stony S-type asteroid and the largest one in the intermediate main belt with more than 5,000 members.[12]:23 It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.2–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,554 days; semi-major axis of 2.63 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic.[3]

    The body's observation arc begins with its first observation as A908 SE at Heidelberg in October 1908, or 17 years prior to its official discovery observation.[1]

    Naming

    Any reference of this minor planet's name to a person or occurrence is unknown.[2]

    Unknown meaning

    Among the many thousands of named minor planets, Meta is one of 120 asteroids, for which no official naming citation has been published. All of these asteroids have low numbers between 164 Eva and 1514 Ricouxa and were discovered between 1876 and the 1930s, predominantly by astronomers Auguste Charlois, Johann Palisa, Max Wolf and Karl Reinmuth (also see category of asteroid names with unknown origin).[13]

    Physical characteristics

    According to the overall spectral type for members of the Eunomia family, Meta is an assumed S-type asteroid.[4]

    Rotation period and poles

    In October 2006, a rotational lightcurve of Meta was obtained from photometric observations by French amateur astronomer René Roy. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 6.142 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.46 magnitude, indicating that the asteroid has an elongated shape (U=3).[10]

    A modeled lightcurve using photometric data from the Lowell Photometric Database was published in 2016. It gave a concurring period of 6.14188 hours, as well as two spin axes at (60.0°, −42.0°) and (198.0°, −79.0°) in ecliptic coordinates (λ, β).[9]

    Diameter and albedo

    According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Meta measures between 8.773 and 10.03 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.294 and 0.364.[6][7][8]

    The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.21 – derived from 15 Eunomia, the namesake and parent body of the Eunomia family – and calculates a diameter of 10.53 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.2.[4]

    References
    1. "1050 Meta (1925 RC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
    2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1050) Meta". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1050) Meta. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 90. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1051. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1050 Meta (1925 RC)" (2017-06-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
    4. "LCDB Data for (1050) Meta". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 21 March 2018.
    5. "Asteroid 1050 Meta – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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. Retrieved 17 October 2019. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
    9. Durech, J.; Hanus, J.; Oszkiewicz, D.; Vanco, R. (March 2016). "Asteroid models from the Lowell photometric database". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 587: 6. arXiv:1601.02909. Bibcode:2016A&A...587A..48D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201527573. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
    10. Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1050) Meta". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
    11. 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 21 March 2018.
    12. Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families. Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131.
    13. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "Appendix 11 – Minor Planet Names with Unknown Meaning". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Fifth Revised and Enlarged revision. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 927–929. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
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