| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Jackson |
| Discovery site | Johannesburg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 April 1931 |
| Designations | |
| (1193) Africa | |
Named after | Africa(continent)[2] |
| 1931 HB | |
| main-belt[1] · (middle) Eunomia[3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 86.20 yr (31,484 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9728AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3198 AU |
| 2.6463 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1234 |
| 4.30yr (1,572 days) | |
| 9.0113° | |
| 0° 13m 44.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 14.141° |
| 49.538° | |
| 183.92° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 12.220±0.102 km[5] 13 km(est. at0.21) |
| 0.21(derived) 0.247±0.038[5] | |
| S(derived) | |
| 11.8[1] | |
1193 Africa, provisional designation1931 HB, is a stony Eunomianasteroid from the central region of theasteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by South African astronomerCyril Jackson atJohannesburg Observatory on 24 April 1931.[6] The asteroid was named for theAfrican continent.[2]
Africa is a member of theEunomia family (502), a large group of typicallyS-type asteroids and the most prominent family in theintermediate main-belt.[3][4] It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.3–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,572 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.12 and aninclination of 14° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Johannesburg.[6]
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Africa measures 12.22 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.247.[5] Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion,Africa measures 13 kilometers in diameter, using anabsolute magnitude of 11.8 and a standard albedo for Eunomian asteroids of 0.21, derived from15 Eunomia, the family's largest member and namesake.[7]
As of 2017, no rotationallightcurve ofAfrica has been obtained from photometric observations. The body'srotation period, poles and shape still remain unknown.[1][8]
Thisminor planet was named forAfrica, the large continent on whichJohannesburg is located.[2] The official naming citation was also mentioned inPaul Herget'sThe Names of the Minor Planets in 1955 (H 111).[2]
