| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Jackson |
| Discovery site | Johannesburg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 28 April 1932 |
| Designations | |
| (1242) Zambesia | |
Named after | Zambezi basin[2] (southern Africa) |
| 1932 HL · 1947 TE 1948 AC · 1967 EF A908 BF | |
| main-belt · (middle) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 109.42 yr (39,966 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.2569AU |
| Perihelion | 2.2201 AU |
| 2.7385 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1893 |
| 4.53yr (1,655 days) | |
| 139.42° | |
| 0° 13m 3s / day | |
| Inclination | 10.163° |
| 350.01° | |
| 52.968° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 42.16±11.24 km[4] 47.54 km(derived)[5] 47.594±0.347 km[6] 47.70±1.6 km[7] 52.668±0.952 km[8] 53.70±3.05 km[9] 62.23±0.79 km[10] 72.818±22.99 km[11] |
| 15.72±0.14h[a] 17.305 h[b] >24 h(poor)[12] | |
| 0.0252±0.0184[11] 0.04±0.01[9] 0.043±0.001[10] 0.045±0.032[4] 0.0541(derived)[5] 0.058±0.010[6] 0.0581±0.0040[8] 0.0708±0.005[7] | |
| C(S3OS2)[13] | |
| 10.10[7][8][10] · 10.40[1][5][11] · 10.41[9] · 10.87[4] | |
1242 Zambesia (prov. designation:1932 HL) is a darkbackground asteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 28 April 1932, by South African astronomerCyril Jackson at theUnion Observatory in Johannesburg.[14] The asteroid was named for the largeZambezi basin in southern Africa.[2]
Zambesia is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.2–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,655 days;semi-major axis of 2.74 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.19 and aninclination of 10° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The asteroid was first observed asA908 BF at Taunton Observatory (803) in January 1908. The body'sobservation arc begins at theUnited States Naval Observatory (786) in February 1908, more than 26 years prior to its official discovery observation at Johannesburg.[14]
Thisminor planet was named after theZambezi river valley, partially part of the formerBritish Central Africa Protectorate. The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 114).[2] The large Zambezi basin stretches across modernAngola,Botswana,Mozambique,Namibia,Zambia andZimbabwe.
In both the Tholen- and SMASS-like taxonomy of theSmall Solar System Objects Spectroscopic Survey (S3OS2),Zambesia is a common, carbonaceousC-type asteroid.[13]
In October 2015, a rotationallightcurve ofZambesia was obtained by a group of Spanish astronomers. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 15.72 hours with a brightness variation of 0.15magnitude (U=2).[a] Previous photometric observations gave a divergent period of 17.305 and 24+ hours (U=1/2).[12][b]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Zambesia measures between 42.16 and 72.818 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.0252 and 0.0708.[4][6][7][8][9][10][11]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0541 and a diameter of 47.54 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 10.4.[5]
