| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. Delporte |
| Discovery site | Uccle Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 September 1935 |
| Designations | |
| (2213) Meeus | |
Named after | Jean Meeus[1] (Belgian astronomer) |
| 1935 SO1 · 1958 XM 1961 TG · 1974 RB | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (inner) background[3] · Flora[4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 82.34yr (30,075 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.6972AU |
| Perihelion | 1.6983 AU |
| 2.1977 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2273 |
| 3.26 yr (1,190 d) | |
| 126.11° | |
| 0° 18m 9s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.3321° |
| 126.93° | |
| 222.18° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 4.59±0.28 km[5] 4.889±0.028 km[6] 5.194±0.032 km[7] 5.67 km(calculated)[4] | |
| 2.651±0.001 h[8] | |
| 0.24(assumed)[4] 0.3467±0.0219[7] 0.439±0.042[5] | |
| S(assumed)[4] | |
| 13.12±0.08[8] 13.20[5][7] 13.34±0.36[9] 13.4[2][4] | |
2213 Meeus, provisional designation1935 SO1, is a bright backgroundasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1935, by Belgian astronomerEugène Delporte at theRoyal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle.[1] The presumedS-type asteroid has a shortrotation period of 2.65 hours.[4] It was named for Belgian amateur astronomer and meteorologistJean Meeus.[1]
Meeus is a non-family asteroid of the main belt'sbackground population when applying thehierarchical clustering method to itsproper orbital elements.[3] Based on osculating Keplerianorbital elements, the asteroid has also been classified as a member of theFlora family (402), a giantasteroid family and the largest family of stony asteroids in the main-belt.[4]
It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.7–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,190 days;semi-major axis of 2.2 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.23 and aninclination of 5° with respect to theecliptic.[2] The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Uccle in 1935.[1]
Meeus is an assumed stonyS-type asteroid.[4]
In August 2013, a rotationallightcurve ofMeeus was obtained fromphotometric observations by Italian astronomers of the Tuscolana Association of Astronomy (D06). Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 2.651 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.19magnitude (U=3-).[4][8]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Meeus measures between 4.59 and 5.194 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a highalbedo between 0.3467 and 0.439.[5][6][7]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from8 Flora, theparent body of the Flora family – and calculates a diameter of 5.67 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 13.4.[4]
Thisminor planet was named after Belgian amateur astronomer and professional meteorologistJean Meeus (born 1928), who, in 1986, received theAmateur Achievement Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.[1] The official naming was proposed by Eric S. Fogelin(see2181),Jay U. Gunter andEdward Bowell, and published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 August 1981 (M.P.C. 6208).[10]
