1931 Čapek

1931 Čapek

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	L. Kohoutek
Discovery site	Bergedorf Obs.
Discovery date	22 August 1969
Designations
MPC designation	(1931) Čapek
Named after	Karel Čapek[2] (Czech writer)[2]
Alternative designations	1969 QB · 1957 TK 1969 PB
Minor planet category	main-belt · (middle)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	59.76 yr (21,826 days)
Aphelion	3.2311 AU
Perihelion	1.8513 AU
Semi-major axis	2.5412 AU
Eccentricity	0.2715
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.05 yr (1,480 days)
Mean anomaly	297.94°
Mean motion	0° 14^m 35.88^s / day
Inclination	8.2623°
Longitude of ascending node	182.43°
Argument of perihelion	164.55°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	6.628±0.214 km[3]
Geometric albedo	0.254±0.035[3]
Spectral type	Tholen = C[1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.0[1]

1931 Čapek, provisional designation 1969 QB, is a background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 August 1969, by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek at the Bergedorf Observatory in Hamburg, Germany.[4] The asteroid was named in memory of Czech writer Karel Čapek.[2]

Orbit and classification

Čapek is a background asteroid, not associated to any known asteroid family. It orbits the Sun in the inner part of the central main-belt near the 3:1 resonance with Jupiter at a distance of 1.9–3.2 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,480 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.27 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The asteroid was first identified as 1957 TK at Goethe Link Observatory in October 1957. The body's observation arc begins at Crimea–Nauchnij, eleven days prior to its official discovery observation at Bergedorf.[4]

Physical characteristics

Spectral type

In the Tholen classification, Čapek is a common carbonaceous C-type asteroid.[1] This strongly disagrees with the albedo obtained by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which indicates that Čapek is a stony S-type asteroid rather than a carbonaceous one.[3]

Rotation period

As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Čapek has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, shape and poles remain unknown.[1][5]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Čapek measures 6.628 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.254.[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named in memory of Karel Čapek (1890–1938), Czech dramatist and novelist, best known for his allegorical plays R.U.R. and Krakatit, in which he anticipated both, the destructive potential of nuclear physics and their moral implications.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 June 1991 (M.P.C. 18447).[6]

References

1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1931 Capek (1969 QB)" (2017-07-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1931) Čapek". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1931) Čapek. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 155. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1932. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
3. 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. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
4. "1931 Capek (1969 QB)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
5. "LCDB Data for (1931) Čapek". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 5 September 2017.
6. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 5 September 2017.

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
• 1931 Čapek at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 1931 Čapek at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters