3037 Alku

3037 Alku, provisional designation 1944 BA, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 January 1944, by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland.[9]

3037 Alku
Discovery [1]
Discovered byY. Väisälä
Discovery siteTurku Obs.
Discovery date16 January 1944
Designations
(3037) Alku
Named after
Alku (a boat's name)[2]
1944 BA · 1979 BH
main-belt · (middle) [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc72.87 yr (26,615 days)
Aphelion3.1798 AU
Perihelion2.1670 AU
2.6734 AU
Eccentricity0.1894
4.37 yr (1,597 days)
329.14°
0° 13m 31.8s / day
Inclination19.022°
107.80°
330.32°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions18.84 km (derived)[3]
18.91±0.8 km (IRAS:8)[4]
26.44±0.61 km[5]
29.289±0.302 km[6]
29.876±0.186[7]
11.844±0.002 h[8]
0.0343±0.0090[6]
0.044±0.008[7]
0.061±0.003[5]
0.0949 (derived)[3]
0.1131±0.011 (IRAS:8)[4]
SMASS = C [1] · C [3]
11.6[4][5][6] · 11.8[1][3]

    Orbit and classification

    The C-type asteroid orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–3.2 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,597 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 19° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] No precoveries were taken before its discovery.[9]

    Rotation period

    A rotational lightcurve for this asteroid was obtained from photometric measurements taken by American astronomer Brian Warner at the Palmer Divide Observatory, Colorado, in January 2005. The lightcurve gave a well-defined rotation period of 11.844±0.002 hours with a brightness variation of 0.95 in magnitude (U=3).[8]

    Diameter estimates

    According to the space-based surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), the Japanese Akari satellite, and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures between 18.9 and 29.9 kilometers in diameter and it has an albedo in the range of 0.03 to 0.11.[4][5][6][7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the results obtained by IRAS, and derives an albedo of 0.09 with a diameter of 18.8 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 11.8.[3]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after the sailing boat Alku ("the beginning" in Finnish). Built by his father, the discoverer used to sail it in his childhood, and it became the origin of his enduring passion for sailing.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 June 1991 (M.P.C. 18450).[10]

    References
    1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3037 Alku (1944 BA)" (2016-11-29 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
    2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3037) Alku". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3037) Alku. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 250. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3038. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. "LCDB Data for (3037) Alku". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    4. 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.
    5. 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. Retrieved 17 October 2019. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. Warner, Brian D. (September 2005). "Asteroid lightcurve analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory - winter 2004-2005". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 32 (3): 54–58. Bibcode:2005MPBu...32...54W. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
    9. "3037 Alku (1944 BA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    10. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 13 May 2016.

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