1778 Alfvén

1778 Alfvén, also designated 4506 P-L, is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter.

1778 Alfvén
Discovery[1]
Discovered byC. J. van Houten
I. van Houten-G.
Tom Gehrels
Discovery sitePalomar Obs.
Discovery date26 September 1960
Designations
(1778) Alfvén
Named after
Hannes Alfvén (physicist)[2]
4506 P-L · 1936 HK
1952 DD1 · 1958 FB
1959 NN
main-belt · Themis[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 May 2021 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc66.12 yr (24,152 days) (JPL)
113.65 yr (41,511 days) (MPC)[4]
Aphelion3.5505 AU
Perihelion2.7420 AU
3.1462 AU
Eccentricity0.1285
5.58 yr (2,038 days)
358.82°
0° 10m 35.4s / day
Inclination2.4742°
106.24°
136.41°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions20.51 km (calculated)[3]
20.623±0.240 km[5][6]
4.8050±0.0027 h[7]
4.82±0.05 h[8]
0.08 (assumed)[3]
0.095±0.007[5][6]
C[3]
11.59±0.15 (R)[8] · 11.6[5] · 11.725±0.003 (R)[7] 11.8[1][3] · 12.32±0.54[9]

    It was discovered on 26 September 1960, by astronomers Cornelis van Houten, Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld and Tom Gehrels at the U.S. Palomar Observatory, in California.[4] It was later named after Swedish Nobelist Hannes Alfvén.[2]

    Orbit and classification

    The dark C-type asteroid is a member of the Themis family, a dynamical family of outer-belt asteroids with nearly coplanar ecliptical orbits. Alfvén orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,038 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

    A first precovery was taken at Lowell Observatory in 1906, extending the body's observation arc by 54 years prior to its official discovery observation.[4]

    Physical characteristics

    Rotation period

    In February 2013, two rotational lightcurves of Alfvén were obtained from analysis at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. The lightcurves gave a rotation period of 4.82 and 4.8050 hours with a brightness variation of 0.40 and 0.36 magnitude, respectively (U=3-/2).[8][7]

    Diameter and albedo

    According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Alfvén measures 20.62 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.095,[5][6] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.08 and calculates a diameter of 20.51 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 11.8.[3]

    Survey designation

    The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.[10]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after Swedish engineer, physicist and Nobel prize winner, Hannes Alfvén (1908–1995).[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 June 1974 (M.P.C. 3643).[11]

    References
    1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1778 Alfven (4506 P-L)" (2020-10-11 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
    2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1778) Alfvén". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1778) Alfvén. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 142. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1779. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. "LCDB Data for (1778) Alfvén". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 19 December 2016.
    4. "1778 Alfven (4506 P-L)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
    5. Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; 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.
    6. Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 20 December 2016.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    7. Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; 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. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
    8. Chang, Chan-Kao; Ip, Wing-Huen; Lin, Hsing-Wen; Cheng, Yu-Chi; et al. (June 2014). "313 New Asteroid Rotation Periods from Palomar Transient Factory Observations". The Astrophysical Journal. 788 (1): 21. arXiv:1405.1144. Bibcode:2014ApJ...788...17C. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/788/1/17. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
    9. Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; 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 19 December 2016.
    10. "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
    11. Schmadel, Lutz D. "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 221. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7.

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