1070 Tunica, provisional designation 1926 RB, is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 35 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 1 September 1926, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany.[15] The asteroid was named after Petrorhagia, a flowering plant also known as "Tunica".[3]

1070 Tunica
Discovery[1]
Discovered byK. Reinmuth
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date1 September 1926
Designations
(1070) Tunica
Pronunciation/ˈtjnɪkə/[2]
Named after
Petrorhagia[3]
(flowering plant)
1926 RB · A903 SA
main-belt · (outer)[1][4]
background[5] · Ursula[6]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc114.03 yr (41,649 days)
Aphelion3.4882 AU
Perihelion2.9764 AU
3.2323 AU
Eccentricity0.0792
5.81 yr (2,123 days)
259.51°
0° 10m 10.56s / day
Inclination16.963°
165.32°
189.81°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions33.77±8.89 km[7]
33.79 km (calculated)[4]
36.68±0.86 km[8]
39.10±0.64 km[9]
39.131±0.423 km[10]
44.135±1.028 km[11]
15.673±0.0067 h[12]
15.8±1.0 h[13]
0.0476±0.0014[11]
0.057 (assumed)[4]
0.061±0.003[10]
0.068±0.003[9]
0.07±0.04[7]
0.076±0.011[8]
C (assumed)[4]
10.60[8][9] · 10.634±0.001 (R)[12] · 10.70[7][11] · 10.76±0.29[14] · 10.8[1] · 11.08[4]

Orbit and classification

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Tunica is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[5] Conversely, it has also been considered a core member of the Ursula family.[6] It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 3.0–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 10 months (2,123 days; semi-major axis of 3.23 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 17° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The body's observation arc begins with its identification as A903 SA at Heidelberg in September 1903, or 23 years prior to its official discovery observation.[15]

Physical characteristics

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Tunica is an assumed C-type asteroid.[4]

Rotation period

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In May 2017, a rotational lightcurve of Tunica was obtained from photometric observations by French amateur astronomer René Roy. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 15.8 hours with a brightness variation of 0.24 magnitude (U=2-).[13] Another lightcurve obtained in the R-band by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in February 2010 gave a period of 15.673 hours and an amplitude of 0.32 magnitude (U=2).[12]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Tunica measures between 33.77 and 44.135 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.0476 and 0.076.[7][8][9][10][11]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 33.79 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.08.[4]

Naming

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This minor planet was named after "Tunica" (Petrorhagia), a flowering plant derived from the common gillyflower.[3]

Reinmuth's flowers

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Due to his many discoveries, Karl Reinmuth submitted a large list of 66 newly named asteroids in the early 1930s. The list covered his discoveries with numbers between (1009) and (1200). This list also contained a sequence of 28 asteroids, starting with 1054 Forsytia, that were all named after plants, in particular flowering plants (also see list of minor planets named after animals and plants).[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1070 Tunica (1926 RB)" (2017-09-30 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  2. ^ "tunica". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1070) Tunica". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1070) Tunica. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 91. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1071. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (1070) Tunica". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Small Bodies Data Ferret". Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Asteroid 1070 Tunica – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Masiero, J.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; et al. (December 2015). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year One: Preliminary Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 814 (2): 13. arXiv:1509.02522. Bibcode:2015ApJ...814..117N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/117. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  9. ^ a b c d Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
  10. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121.
  11. ^ a b c d Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90.
  12. ^ a b c Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  13. ^ a b Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1070) Tunica". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  14. ^ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  15. ^ a b "1070 Tunica (1926 RB)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  16. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1054) Forsytia". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1054) Forsytia. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 90. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1055. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
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