| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Shoemaker |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 12 February 1985 |
| Designations | |
| (4031) Mueller | |
Named after | Jean Mueller (American astronomer)[2] |
| 1985 CL · 1969 EN1 | |
| main-belt · Hungaria[3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 32.13 yr (11,734 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.1291AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7394 AU |
| 1.9342 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1007 |
| 2.69yr (983 days) | |
| 100.23° | |
| 0° 21m 59.04s / day | |
| Inclination | 18.909° |
| 355.88° | |
| 69.444° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 3.875±0.101 km[5][6] 5.56 km(calculated)[3] |
| 2.9420±0.0002h[7] 2.942±0.001 h[a] 2.943±0.001 h[8] 2.944±0.001 h[9][b] | |
| 0.30(assumed)[3] 0.3894±0.0782[5][6] | |
| E[3][5] · X[10] | |
| 13.2[1][3] · 13.34±0.29[10] · 13.7[5] | |
4031 Mueller, provisional designation1985 CL, is a Hungariaasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 12 February 1985, by American astronomerCarolyn Shoemaker atPalomar Observatory, California, and named after astronomerJean Mueller.[11][2]
Mueller is a member of theHungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System.[4] It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.7–2.1 AU once every 2 years and 8 months (983 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.10 and aninclination of 19° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body was first identified as1969 EN1 atCrimea–Nauchnij on 13 March 1969, yet the observation remained unused for the asteroid'sobservation arc.[11]
Mueller'sspectral type is that of anE-type asteroid, typical for members of the Hungaria family.[3] It has also been characterized as anX-type asteroid byPanSTARRS' photometric survey.[3][10]
Four rotationallightcurves for this asteroid were obtained from photometric observations made by American astronomerBrian Warner at his Palmer Divide Observatory (716) between 2008 and 2016. They all gave a concurring, well-definedrotation period of 2.942 to 2.944 hours with a brightness variation between 0.14 and 0.19magnitude (U=3/3-/3-/3).[a][7][8][9][b]
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 3.9 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a highalbedo of 0.389,[5][6] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.30 and calculates a diameter of 5.56 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 13.2.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after American astronomerJean Mueller (b. 1950),discoverer of minor planets,comets andsupernovae during the course of theSecond Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II) using theOschin Telescope at Palomar Observatory in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 12 December 1989 (M.P.C. 15576).[12]
