| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 2 April 1926 |
| Designations | |
| (2500) Alascattalo | |
Named after | Alascattalo (mythological creature)[2] |
| 1926 GC · 1927 TA 1946 FB · 1981 VD | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 91.18 yr (33,303 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.4620AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0184 AU |
| 2.2402 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0990 |
| 3.35yr (1,225 days) | |
| 78.867° | |
| 0° 17m 38.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.9899° |
| 48.004° | |
| 160.51° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7.481±0.132 km[4] 7.947±0.037 km[5] 8.19 km(calculated)[3] |
| 2.751±0.002 h[6] 2.754±0.007h[7] | |
| 0.2138±0.0580[5] 0.24(assumed)[3] 0.257±0.013[4] | |
| S [3] | |
| 12.6[1][3] · 12.8[5] · 12.94±0.30[8] | |
2500 Alascattalo, provisional designation1926 GC, is a stony Floraasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 2 April 1926, by German astronomerKarl Reinmuth atHeidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.[9] It was later named for the fictional moose–walrusAlascattalo creature.[2]
Alascattalo is a member of theFlora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,225 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.10 and aninclination of 7° with respect to theecliptic.[1] Noprecoveries were obtained prior to its discovery.[9]
Alascattalo has been characterized as a common, stonyS-type asteroid.[3]
A rotationallightcurve of this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations made by Junda Liu at the Lvye Observatory (P34), China, and at the iTelescope Observatory (Q62), at theSiding Spring Observatory site, Australia, in December 2015. The lightcurve gave a well-definedrotation period of2.751 hours with a brightness variation of 0.19 inmagnitude (U=3-).[6]
A previous lightcurve with a concurring period of2.754 hours and a similar amplitude of 0.15 was already obtained by French amateur astronomerPierre Antonini in March 2013 (U=2).[7]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA's space-basedWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Alascattalo measures 7.5 and 7.9 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.21 and 0.27, respectively,[4][5] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – which derives from8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of this orbital family – and calculates a diameter of 8.2 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 12.6.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after the mythological creature "Alascattalo", a fictionalchimera between a moose and a walrus.[2]
According to legend, it was genetically bred by miners during theKlondike Gold Rush in the late 19th century. The alascattalo also stands for the local people's unique sense of humor, dealing with tourists who ask naive questions, and is the mascot of the four-minute long, annual parade on "Alascattalo Day" held in November.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19332).[10]
