131_Vala

131 Vala

131 Vala

Main-belt asteroid

Vala (minor planet designation: 131 Vala) is an inner main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on 24 May 1873, and derives its name from völva (vǫlva, lit. 'staff bearer'), a prophetess in Norse paganism.[4] One observation of an occultation of a star by Vala is from Italy (26 May 2002). 10-μm radiometric data collected from Kitt Peak in 1975 gave a diameter estimate of 34 km.[5]

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In the Tholen classification system, it is categorized as an SU-type asteroid, while the Bus asteroid taxonomy system lists it as a K-type asteroid.[3] Photometric observations of this asteroid during 2007 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico were used to create a "nearly symmetric bimodal" light curve plot. This showed a rotation period of 10.359 ± 0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.09 ± 0.02 magnitude during each cycle.[6] The result is double the 5.18-hour period reported in the JPL Small-Body Database.[1]

On 2028-Apr-05, Vala will pass 0.0276 AU (4,130,000 km; 2,570,000 mi) from asteroid 2 Pallas.[7]

References

  1. [1]
    "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 131 Vala" (2011-10-20 last obs (arc=138 years)). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  2. [2]
    "Vala". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  3. [3]
    DeMeo, Francesca E.; et al. (July 2009), "An extension of the Bus asteroid taxonomy into the near-infrared" (PDF), Icarus, vol. 202, no. 1, pp. 160–180, Bibcode:2009Icar..202..160D, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.02.005, archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2014, retrieved 8 April 2013. See appendix A.
  4. [4]
    Schmadel, Lutz D.; International Astronomical Union (2003). Dictionary of minor planet names. Berlin; New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 27. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  5. [5]
    Morrison, D.; Chapman, C. R. (March 1976), "Radiometric diameters for an additional 22 asteroids", Astrophysical Journal, vol. 204, pp. 934–939, Bibcode:2008mgm..conf.2594S, doi:10.1142/9789812834300_0469.
  6. [6]
    Pilcher, Frederick (June 2008), "Period Determination for 84 Klio, 98 Ianthe, 102 Miriam 112 Iphigenia, 131 Vala, and 650 Amalasuntha", The Minor Planet Bulletin, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 71–72, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2008MPBu...35...71P, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009.
  7. [7]
    "JPL Close-Approach Data: 131 Vala" (2011-10-20 last obs (arc=138 years)). Retrieved 7 December 2011.

Further reading

  • Franco, Lorenzo; et al. (October 2019), "Spin-Shape Model for 131 Vala", Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, 46 (4): 392–394, Bibcode:2019MPBu...46..392F


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