2131 Mayall

2131 Mayall

Discovery [1]
Discovered by	A. R. Klemola
Discovery site	Lick Obs.
Discovery date	3 September 1975
Designations
MPC designation	(2131) Mayall
Named after	Nicholas Mayall[2]
Alternative designations	1975 RA
Minor planet category	main-belt · (inner)
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	41.05 yr (14,994 days)
Aphelion	2.0970 AU
Perihelion	1.6775 AU
Semi-major axis	1.8873 AU
Eccentricity	0.1111
Orbital period (sidereal)	2.59 yr (947 days)
Mean anomaly	78.045°
Mean motion	0° 22^m 48.36^s / day
Inclination	33.987°
Longitude of ascending node	306.05°
Argument of perihelion	38.552°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	7.8 km (IRAS:3)[3] 8.252±0.040[4]
Synodic rotation period	2.5678 h[5]
Geometric albedo	0.2391±0.031 (IRAS:3)[3] 0.244±0.019[4]
Spectral type	S (Tholen)[1] S (SMASS)[1] S [5] B–V = 0.871[1] U–B = 0.450[1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	12.72[1]

2131 Mayall (1975 RA) is an inner main-belt asteroid discovered on September 3, 1975, by Arnold Klemola at the Lick Observatory and named in honor of Nicholas U. Mayall (1906–1993), director of the Kitt Peak National Observatory during 1960–1971, who also worked at Lick for many years.^[1][2] It is about 8 km (~5 miles) in diameter.^[6]

Photometric measurements of the asteroid made in 2005 at the Palmer Divide Observatory showed a light curve with a period of 2.572 ± 0.002 hours and a brightness variation of 0.08 ± 0.02 in magnitude.^[7]

This led to a follow-up investigation in 2006, when another light curve was recorded.^[6] These observations did not indicate a binary asteroid type, but did add to the data set available for this asteroid; this asteroid is part of the Hungaria group.^[6]

See also

• Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope (telescope named after the same astronomer)

References

1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2131 Mayall (1975 RA)" (2016-09-21 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2131) Mayall". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2131) Mayall. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 173. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2132. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
3. Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System. 12: IRAS-A-FPA-3-RDR-IMPS-V6.0. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
4. Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121.
5. "LCDB Data for (2131) Mayall". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 19 June 2017.
6. Warner, Brian D.; Stephens, Robert D.; Higgins, David; Pravec, Petr (March 2007). "The Lightcurve of 2131 Mayall in 2006". Minor Planet Bulletin. 34 (1): 23. Bibcode:2007MPBu...34...23W. ISSN 1052-8091.
7. Warner, Brian D. (2005), "Asteroid lightcurve analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory - winter 2004-2005", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 32 (3): 54–58, Bibcode:2005MPBu...32...54W

External links

• Lightcurve plot of 2131 Mayall, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2009)
• Asteroids with Satellites, Robert Johnston, johnstonsarchive.net
• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 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
• 2131 Mayall at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 2131 Mayall at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters