| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. Schaumasse |
| Discovery site | Nice Obs. |
| Discovery date | 23 November 1921 |
| Designations | |
| (971) Alsatia | |
| Pronunciation | /ælˈseɪʃə/[2] |
Named after | Alsace[3](French province) |
| 1921 LF · 1961 AA A908 UE | |
| main-belt · (middle) background[4] EUN–(interloper)[5] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 108.67 yr (39,693 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.0666AU |
| Perihelion | 2.2182 AU |
| 2.6424 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1605 |
| 4.30yr (1,569 days) | |
| 86.606° | |
| 0° 13m 46.2s / day | |
| Inclination | 13.774° |
| 83.539° | |
| 6.2645° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 55.31±13.87 km[6] 60.71±0.88 km[7] 60.867±0.527 km[8] 62.92±0.58 km[9] 63.75±1.7 km[5][10] 64.724±0.657 km[11] |
| 6.81±0.01h[12] 9.600±0.007 h[13] 9.606±0.001 h[14] 9.61±0.02 h[15] 9.614±0.003 h[16][a] | |
| 0.0403±0.0078[11] 0.0415±0.002[5][10] 0.043±0.006[9] 0.046±0.002[7] 0.046±0.005[8] 0.05±0.02[6] | |
| SMASS =C[1][5] B–V = 0.669[1] U–B = 0.298[1] | |
| 10.05[1][5][7][9][10][11] · 10.11±0.10[17] · 10.21[6] | |
971 Alsatia, provisional designation1921 LF, is a carbonaceous backgroundasteroid from the central region of theasteroid belt, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 23 November 1921, by French astronomerAlexandre Schaumasse atNice Observatory in southeastern France.[18] The asteroid was named after the French provinceAlsace.[3]
Alsatia is a non-family asteroid of the main belt'sbackground population when applying theHierarchical Clustering Method to itsproper orbital elements.[4] It has also been dynamically classified as a member of theEunomia family (502), which has a different spectral type though. This suggests thatAlsatia may be aninterloper to that family.[5]
It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.2–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,569 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.16 and aninclination of 14° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The body'sobservation arc begins with its first identification asA908 UE atHeidelberg Observatory in October 1908, more than 13 years prior to its official discovery observation at Nice.[18]
In theSMASS classification,Alsatia is a carbonaceousC-type asteroid.[1]
Several rotationallightcurves ofAlsatia have been obtained from photometric observations byRobert Stephens (2000),[12]Laurent Bernasconi (2005),[13] astronomer at theOakley Southern Sky Observatory (2011),[15]Brian Warner (2011),[16] and Daniel Klinglesmith (2017).[14] Lightcurve analysis gave a consolidatedrotation period of 9.614 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.17 to 0.29magnitude (U=2/2/2/3/3-).[5][a]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Alsatia measures between 55.31 and 64.724 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.0403 and 0.05.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.0415 and a diameter of 63.75 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 10.05.[5][10]
Thisminor planet was named after the French provinceAlsace (regained from Germany after theWWI) in northeast France between the Rhine river and the Vosges mountains. In 1922, the discoverer proposed the name Alsace. However, theAstronomical Calculation Institute, then responsible for the naming of minor planets, changed the name in Alsatia.[3] The political status of Alsace has been heavily influenced by historical decisions, wars, and strategic politics.
