Astronomy:3031 Houston

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3031 Houston
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. Bowell
Discovery siteAnderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date8 February 1984
Designations
(3031) Houston
Named afterWalter Scott Houston
(American amateur astronomer)[2]
1984 CX · 1954 EF
1978 NP · 1979 VT1
1981 JL1
Minor planet categorymain-belt · (inner)
Flora [3][4]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc63.16 yr (23,071 days)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.4553 AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.0169 AU
2.2361 AU
Eccentricity0.0980
Orbital period3.34 yr (1,221 days)
Mean anomaly330.84°
Mean motion0° 17m 41.28s / day
Inclination4.3407°
Longitude of ascending node317.78°
249.40°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions5.45±0.81 km[5]
6.43±0.14 km[6]
6.430±0.141 km[6]
6.761±0.028 km[7]
7.14 km (calculated)[3]
Rotation period5.61±0.060 h (half)[8]
11.175±0.0532 h[9]
11.218±0.006 h[10]
Geometric albedo0.24 (assumed)[3]
0.2456±0.0331[7]
0.270±0.028[6]
0.39±0.20[5]
S [3]
Absolute magnitude (H)12.787±0.001 (R)[9] · 12.80[5] · 12.810±0.080 (R)[8] · 12.9[1][3] · 13.00[6][7]


3031 Houston, provisional designation 1984 CX, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 February 1984, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona.[11] It was named after American amateur astronomer Walter Scott Houston.[2]

Orbit and classification

Houston is a member of the Flora family (402), a giant asteroid family and the largest family of stony asteroids in the main-belt.[3][4][12]:23 It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,221 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The body's observation arc begins with its identification as 1954 EF at Goethe Link Observatory in October 1954, or 30 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.[11]

Physical characteristics

Houston is an assumed S-type asteroid, in line with the Flora family's overall spectral type.[3][12]:23

Rotation period

In April 2011, a rotational lightcurve of Houston was obtained from photometric observations by astronomers at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory (E09) in Australia. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 11.218 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.11 magnitude ({{{1}}}). Two more lightcurves obtained at the Palomar Transient Factory in 2014, gave a period of 5.61 (half the period solution) and 11.175 hours with an amplitude of 0.17 and 0.14 magnitude, respectively ({{{1}}}).[8][9]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Houston measures between 5.45 and 6.761 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.2456 and 0.39.[5][6][7]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of the Flora family – and calculates a diameter of 7.14 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.9.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Walter Scott Houston (1912–1993), an American amateur astronomer best known for his column "Deep-Sky Wonders" in the Sky and Telescope magazine. Houston, who observed deep-sky objects, has also encouraged many amateur astronomers.

The name was proposed by the discoverer following a suggestion by P. L. Dombrowski.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 22 June 1986 (M.P.C. 10845).[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3031 Houston (1984 CX)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2003031. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3031) Houston". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 249. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3032. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "LCDB Data for (3031) Houston". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). http://www.minorplanet.info/PHP/generateOneAsteroidInfo.php?AstInfo=3031%7CHouston. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Asteroid 3031 Houston – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. https://sbntools.psi.edu/ferret/SimpleSearch/results.action?targetName=3031+Houston#Asteroid%203031%20HoustonEAR-A-VARGBDET-5-NESVORNYFAM-V3.0. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 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. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/117. Bibcode: 2015ApJ...814..117N. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2015ApJ...814..117N. Retrieved 31 August 2017. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 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. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. Bibcode: 2012ApJ...759L...8M. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2012ApJ...759L...8M. Retrieved 31 August 2017. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 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. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Bibcode: 2011ApJ...741...90M. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Chang, Chan-Kao (August 2015). "Asteroid Spin-rate Study Using the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 219 (2): 19. doi:10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/27. Bibcode: 2015ApJS..219...27C. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2015ApJS..219...27C. Retrieved 31 August 2017. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal 150 (3): 35. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Bibcode: 2015AJ....150...75W. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2015AJ....150...75W. Retrieved 31 August 2017. 
  10. ↑ Ditteon, Richard; Horn, Lauren; Kamperman, Amy; Vorjohan, Bradley; Kirkpatrick, Elaine (January 2012). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Oakley Souther Sky Observatory: 2011 April-May". The Minor Planet Bulletin 39 (1): 26–28. ISSN 1052-8091. Bibcode: 2012MPBu...39...26D. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/bib_query?bibcode=2012MPBu...39...26D. Retrieved 31 August 2017. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "3031 Houston (1984 CX)". Minor Planet Center. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=3031. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131. Bibcode: 2015aste.book..297N. 
  13. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html. 

External links



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