2123 Vltava, provisional designation 1973 SL2, is a stony Koronian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 15 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 September 1973, by Soviet–Russian astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory on the Crimean peninsula in Nauchnyj.[10] It is named for the river Vltava (Moldau).[2]

2123 Vltava
Discovery [1]
Discovered byN. Chernykh
Discovery siteCrimean Astrophysical Obs.
Discovery date22 September 1973
Designations
(2123) Vltava
Named after
Vltava[2]
(Czech national river)
1973 SL2 · 1934 PB
1936 AE · 1942 EV
1951 AQ1 · 1954 UL
1956 AJ · 1956 CE
1964 VZ · 1975 AR
1977 JB1 · 1978 SO
main-belt · (outer)
Koronis[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc82.23 yr (30,036 days)
Aphelion3.0862 AU
Perihelion2.6337 AU
2.8600 AU
Eccentricity0.0791
4.84 yr (1,767 days)
11.862°
0° 12m 13.68s / day
Inclination1.0106°
311.62°
58.849°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions14.42±1.3 km (IRAS:2)[3]
14.461±0.186[4]
14.800±0.252 km[5]
15.12±0.75 km[6]
16.2954±0.0282 h[7]
34.0 h[8]
0.2032±0.0183[5]
0.212±0.034[4]
0.2135±0.046 (IRAS:2)[3]
0.220±0.025[6]
S[3]
11.327±0.001 (R)[7] · 11.50 (IRAS:2)[1][3] · 11.5[6][5] · 11.75±0.09[8] · 12.09±0.50[9]

Classification and orbit

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The S-type asteroid is a member of the Koronis family, which is named after 158 Koronis and consists of about 300 known bodies with nearly co-planar ecliptical orbits. The asteroid orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.6–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 10 months (1,767 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] A first precovery taken at Heidelberg in 1934, extends the body's observation arc by 39 years prior to its official discovery observation at Nauchnyj.[10]

Physical characteristics

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Rotation period

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Between 1998 and 2005, a survey of members of the Koronis family by seven different observatories obtained a large number of rotational lightcurves from . For Vltava, the survey gave an ambiguous rotation period of 34.0 hours with a brightness variation of 0.21 in magnitude (U=2).[8] In 2014, photometric observations at the Palomar Transient Factory in California rendered a lightcurve with an alternative solution of 16.2954 hours, or about half the period previously found, with an amplitude of 0.19 magnitude (U=2).[7]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the surveys carried out by the international Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), the Japanese Akari satellite, and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures between 14.4 and 15.1 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.20 and 0.22.[1][4][5][6]

Naming

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This minor planet was named for the Vltava (Moldau), the longest river within the Czech Republic, running through the city of Prague.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 April 1980 (M.P.C. 5283).[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2123 Vltava (1973 SL2)" (2016-11-03 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2123) Vltava". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2123) Vltava. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 172. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2124. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e "LCDB Data for (2123) Vltava". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  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. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d 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. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d 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. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
  7. ^ a b c 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. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Slivan, Stephen M.; Binzel, Richard P.; Boroumand, Shaida C.; Pan, Margaret W.; Simpson, Christine M.; Tanabe, James T.; et al. (May 2008). "Rotation rates in the Koronis family, complete to H≈11.2". Icarus. 195 (1): 226–276. Bibcode:2008Icar..195..226S. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2007.11.019. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  9. ^ 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 17 May 2016.
  10. ^ a b "2123 Vltava (1973 SL2)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  11. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2016.