6257 Thorvaldsen
Thorvaldsen modeled from its lightcurve
Discovery [1]
Discovered byC. J. van Houten
I. van Houten-G.
T. Gehrels
Discovery sitePalomar Obs.
Discovery date26 March 1971
Designations
(6257) Thorvaldsen
Named after
Bertel Thorvaldsen [1]
(Danish sculptor)
4098 T-1 · 1969 TH2
1978 ES5 · 1989 GB7
main-belt [1][2] · (inner)
Vesta [3]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc48.54 yr (17,731 d)
Aphelion2.5505 AU
Perihelion2.1326 AU
2.3416 AU
Eccentricity0.0893
3.58 yr (1,309 d)
167.51°
0° 16m 30.36s / day
Inclination7.9145°
30.505°
22.518°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
4.278±0.143 km[4]
0.384±0.042[4]
13.7[1][2]

6257 Thorvaldsen, provisional designation 4098 T-1, is a bright Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.3 kilometers (2.7 miles) in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey on 26 March 1971, by Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, and Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in California. The asteroid was named for Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.[1]

Orbit and classification

When applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements, Thorvaldsen is a member of the Vesta family.[3] It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 2.1–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,309 days; semi-major axis of 2.34 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The asteroid was first observed as 1969 TH2 at Crimea–Nauchnij in October 1969. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Palomar in 1971.[1]

Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey

The survey designation "T-1" stands for the first Palomar–Leiden Trojan survey, named after the fruitful collaboration of the Palomar and Leiden Observatory in the 1960s and 1970s. 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 asteroid discoveries.[5]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1768–1844). The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 5 March 1996 (M.P.C. 26765).[6]

Physical characteristics

Vestian asteroids have a composition akin to cumulate eucrites (HED meteorites) and are thought to have originated deep within 4 Vesta's crust, possibly from the Rheasilvia crater, a large impact crater on its southern hemisphere near the South pole, formed as a result of a subcatastrophic collision. Vesta is the main belt's second-largest and second-most-massive body after Ceres.[7][8] Thorvaldsen has an absolute magnitude of 13.7.[1][2] As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of this asteroid has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.[2]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Thorvaldsen measures 4.278 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo of 0.384.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "6257 Thorvaldsen (4098 T-1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 6257 Thorvaldsen (4098 T-1)" (2018-04-25 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Asteroid 6257 Thorvaldsen". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; 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.
  5. ^ "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  6. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Kelley, Michael S.; Vilas, Faith; Gaffey, Michael J.; Abell, Paul A. (September 2003). "Quantified mineralogical evidence for a common origin of 1929 Kollaa with 4 Vesta and the HED meteorites". Icarus. 165 (1): 215–218. Bibcode:2003Icar..165..215K. doi:10.1016/S0019-1035(03)00149-0.

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