| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 7 September 1931 |
| Designations | |
| (1198) Atlantis | |
| Pronunciation | /ætˈlæntɪs/ |
Named after | Island ofAtlantis (Greek mythology)[2] |
| 1931 RA · 1958 RQ 1975 TQ4 · 1975 VX6 | |
| Mars-crosser[1][3][4] | |
| Symbol | .svg) (astrological) |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 85.48 yr (31,220 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.0065AU |
| Perihelion | 1.4941 AU |
| 2.2503 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3360 |
| 3.38yr (1,233 days) | |
| 168.18° | |
| 0° 17m 31.2s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.7234° |
| 259.58° | |
| 84.528° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 3.92 km(calculated)[4] |
| 16h[5] | |
| 0.20(assumed)[4] | |
| SMASS =L[1] · S[4] | |
| 14.07±0.53[6] · 14.4[1][4] | |
1198 Atlantis, provisional designation1931 RA, is a rare-typeasteroid and eccentricMars-crosser from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 3.9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 September 1931, by German astronomerKarl Reinmuth at theHeidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.[3] The asteroid was named after the mythological island ofAtlantis.[2]
Atlantis orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.5–3.0 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,233 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.34 and aninclination of 3° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The asteroids'sobservation arc begins at Heidelberg one week after its official discovery observation.[3]
In theSMASS classification,Atlantis is a rareL-type asteroid, that belong to the larger complex ofstony asteroids.[1]
In August 2012, a rotationallightcurve ofAtlantis was obtained from photometric observations by Italian astronomerAlbino Carbognani at the OAVdA Observatory (B04) in Italy. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of at least 16 hours with a brightness variation of 0.20magnitude (U=2).[5]
Atlantis has not been observed by any space-based survey, such as the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite, or theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standardalbedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 3.92 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 14.4.[4]
Thisminor planet was named after the fictional island ofAtlantis fromGreek mythology, mentioned in some ofPlato's works around 360 BC. The greedy and morally bankrupt civilization of Atlantis was punished by the gods with fire and earthquakes that caused the island to sink into the sea. The naming was suggested by astronomer Gustav Stracke, after whom the asteroids(1227) through(1234) were indirectly named by the discoverer.[2]
