| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. Arend |
| Discovery site | Uccle Obs. |
| Discovery date | 19 September 1950 |
| Designations | |
| (2513) Baetslé | |
Named after | Paul-Louis Baetslé[2] |
| 1950 SH · 1936 PC 1943 RA · 1943 RC 1950 TK · 1950 TW2 1964 VO2 · 1971 UH3 1974 QV · 1981 QO | |
| main-belt · Flora[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 73.57 yr (26,870 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.7004AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8713 AU |
| 2.2859 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1813 |
| 3.46yr (1,262 days) | |
| 138.26° | |
| Inclination | 3.1618° |
| 257.61° | |
| 97.789° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 5.013±0.080[4] 5.054±0.086 km[5] 16.67±1.8 km[6] 16.69 km(derived)[3] |
| 6.0792±0.0004h[a] | |
| 0.0278±0.007[6] 0.0333(derived)[3] 0.221±0.021[4] 0.3032±0.0453[5] | |
| S[3] | |
| 13.20[3] · 13.27±0.27[7] · 13.4[1][6][5] | |
2513 Baetslé, provisional designation1950 SH, is a stony Floraasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 19 September 1950, by Belgian astronomerSylvain Arend at theRoyal Observatory in Uccle, Belgium.[8] It was later named after astronomerPaul-Louis Baetslé.[2]
Baetslé is a member of theFlora family, one of the largest groups of rather bright and stony asteroids, and orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.9–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,262 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.18 and aninclination of 3° with respect to theecliptic.[1] Its orbit is almost coplanar. Its first used observation dates back to 1943, when it was identified as1943 RA atHeidelberg Observatory, extending the body'sobservation arc by 7 years prior to its official discovery observation.[8]
Baetslé takes 6.08 hours for a full arotation around its axis.[a] Two observations by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite,IRAS, showed anabsolute magnitude of 13.40 and a lowgeometric albedo of 0.03.[3] While the size, rotational period and orbital data are commonly found among main-belt asteroids, the albedo was exceptionally low and suggested that the body's composition could be mostlycarbonaceous.
However, subsequent observations by theWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer'sNEOWISE mission gave a higher albedo of 0.22 and 0.30 and the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives a value of 0.33, assuming the body to be of astony rather than of a carbonaceous composition.[3][5] This also concurs with the fact thatBaetslé is a member of the Flora family of rather bright and stony asteroids.[3]
Thisminor planet was named in memory of Belgian astronomer Paul-Louis Baetslé (1909–1983), professor at the Brussels Royal Military School and a friend of Sylvain Arend.[2] The official naming citation was published on 20 December 1983 (M.P.C. 8404).[9]
