1921 Pala, provisional designation is a background
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
in an unstable orbit located in the outer region of
asteroid belt, approximately 8.2 kilometers in diameter. It is one of very few bodies located in the 2 : 1
mean motion resonance with
Jupiter.
It was discovered by Dutch–American astronomer
Tom Gehrels
Anton M.J. "Tom" Gehrels (February 21, 1925 – July 11, 2011) was a Dutch–American astronomer, Professor of Planetary Sciences, and Astronomer at the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Biography
Youth and education
Gehrels was born at Haa ...
at
Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in San Diego County, California, United States, in the Palomar Mountain Range. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observat ...
on 20 September 1973.
Orbit and characterization
''Pala'' is a non-
family background asteroid from the main belt's
background population.
It orbits the Sun in the
outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.0–4.6
AU once every 5 years and 12 months (2,187 days;
semi-major axis
In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the long ...
of 3.30 AU). Its orbit has an
eccentricity of 0.39 and an
inclination of 19
° with respect to the
ecliptic.
The body's
observation arc begins at Palomar with its official discovery observation.
It has a strongly unstable orbit near the 2:1
orbital resonance with
Jupiter. The asteroid's orbit is expected to persist for another 18 million years though.
''Pala'' measures approximately 8.2 kilometers in diameter, while the
albedo of its surface has not been estimated.
As of 2017, the body's
spectral type as well as its
rotation period
The rotation period of a celestial object (e.g., star, gas giant, planet, moon, asteroid) may refer to its sidereal rotation period, i.e. the time that the object takes to complete a single revolution around its axis of rotation relative to the ...
and shape remain unknown.
Naming
This
minor planet is named after the
Indian reservation
An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...
,
Pala Pala may refer to:
Places
Chad
*Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest
Estonia
* Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County
* Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County
*Pala, Järva County, vi ...
, located at the base of
Palomar Mountain, believed to apply to an Indian tribe whose members have lived in the area for many centuries.
The official was published by the
Minor Planet Center
The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
Function
...
on 20 February 1976 ().
See also
*
1922 Zulu
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
*
1362 Griqua
1362 Griqua, provisional designation is a dark, Jupiter-resonant background asteroid on an eccentric, cometary-like orbit and the namesake of the Griqua group, located in the Hecuba gap in the outermost region of the asteroid belt. The carbonac ...
References
External links
Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB) query form
)
Dictionary of Minor Planet Names Google books
– Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
– Minor Planet Center
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pala
001921
Discoveries by Tom Gehrels
Named minor planets
19730920