3031 Houston

3031 Houston, provisional designation 1984 CX, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 February 1984, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona.[11] It was named after American amateur astronomer Walter Scott Houston.[2]

3031 Houston
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. Bowell
Discovery siteAnderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date8 February 1984
Designations
(3031) Houston
Named after
Walter Scott Houston
(American amateur astronomer)[2]
1984 CX · 1954 EF
1978 NP · 1979 VT1
1981 JL1
main-belt · (inner)
Flora [3][4]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc63.16 yr (23,071 days)
Aphelion2.4553 AU
Perihelion2.0169 AU
2.2361 AU
Eccentricity0.0980
3.34 yr (1,221 days)
330.84°
0° 17m 41.28s / day
Inclination4.3407°
317.78°
249.40°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions5.45±0.81 km[5]
6.43±0.14 km[6]
6.430±0.141 km[6]
6.761±0.028 km[7]
7.14 km (calculated)[3]
5.61±0.060 h (half)[8]
11.175±0.0532 h[9]
11.218±0.006 h[10]
0.24 (assumed)[3]
0.2456±0.0331[7]
0.270±0.028[6]
0.39±0.20[5]
S [3]
12.787±0.001 (R)[9] · 12.80[5] · 12.810±0.080 (R)[8] · 12.9[1][3] · 13.00[6][7]

    Orbit and classification

    Houston is a member of the Flora family (402), a giant asteroid family and the largest family of stony asteroids in the main-belt.[3][4][12]:23 It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,221 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

    The body's observation arc begins with its identification as 1954 EF at Goethe Link Observatory in October 1954, or 30 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.[11]

    Physical characteristics

    Houston is an assumed S-type asteroid, in line with the Flora family's overall spectral type.[3][12]:23

    Rotation period

    In April 2011, a rotational lightcurve of Houston was obtained from photometric observations by astronomers at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory (E09) in Australia. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 11.218 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.11 magnitude (U=3). Two more lightcurves obtained at the Palomar Transient Factory in 2014, gave a period of 5.61 (half the period solution) and 11.175 hours with an amplitude of 0.17 and 0.14 magnitude, respectively (U=2/2).[8][9]

    Diameter and albedo

    According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Houston measures between 5.45 and 6.761 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.2456 and 0.39.[5][6][7]

    The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of the Flora family – and calculates a diameter of 7.14 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.9.[3]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after Walter Scott Houston (1912–1993), an American amateur astronomer best known for his column "Deep-Sky Wonders" in the Sky and Telescope magazine. Houston, who observed deep-sky objects, has also encouraged many amateur astronomers.

    The name was proposed by the discoverer following a suggestion by P. L. Dombrowski.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 22 June 1986 (M.P.C. 10845).[13]

    References
    1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3031 Houston (1984 CX)" (2017-05-04 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
    2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3031) Houston". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3031) Houston. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 249. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3032. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. "LCDB Data for (3031) Houston". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 31 August 2017.
    4. "Asteroid 3031 Houston – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
    5. Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Masiero, J.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; et al. (December 2015). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year One: Preliminary Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 814 (2): 13. arXiv:1509.02522. Bibcode:2015ApJ...814..117N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/117. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
    6. 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 31 August 2017.
    7. 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.
    8. Chang, Chan-Kao; Ip, Wing-Huen; Lin, Hsing-Wen; Cheng, Yu-Chi; Ngeow, Chow-Choong; Yang, Ting-Chang; et al. (August 2015). "Asteroid Spin-rate Study Using the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 219 (2): 19. arXiv:1506.08493. Bibcode:2015ApJS..219...27C. doi:10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/27. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
    9. 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 31 August 2017.
    10. Ditteon, Richard; Horn, Lauren; Kamperman, Amy; Vorjohan, Bradley; Kirkpatrick, Elaine (January 2012). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Oakley Souther Sky Observatory: 2011 April-May". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 39 (1): 26–28. Bibcode:2012MPBu...39...26D. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
    11. "3031 Houston (1984 CX)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
    12. 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.
    13. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 31 August 2017.

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