1102 Pepita, provisional designation 1928 VA, is a stony background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 39 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 November 1928, by Catalan astronomer Josep Comas i Solà at the Fabra Observatory in Barcelona, Spain.[14] It was named after the discoverer by the feminine form of his nickname.[2] The asteroid has a rotation period of 5.1 hours.[3]

1102 Pepita
Lightcurve-based 3D-model of Pepita
Discovery[1]
Discovered byJ. Comas Solà
Discovery siteFabra Obs.
Discovery date5 November 1928
Designations
(1102) Pepita
Named after
Josep Comas i Solà[2]
(discoverer himself)
1928 VA · 1960 WQ
A899 KB
main-belt · (outer)[3]
background[4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc86.24 yr (31,499 days)
Aphelion3.4119 AU
Perihelion2.7311 AU
3.0715 AU
Eccentricity0.1108
5.38 yr (1,966 days)
267.80°
0° 10m 59.16s / day
Inclination15.828°
216.59°
116.55°
Physical characteristics
30.88±1.59 km[5]
36.632±0.378 km[6]
39.27±2.1 km[7]
41.02±0.74 km[8]
41.733±0.308 km[9]
5.1±0.1 h[10]
5.1040±0.0003 h[10]
5.10532±0.00005 h[11]
5.1054±0.0002 h[12]
0.1842±0.0220[9]
0.188±0.007[8]
0.1991±0.023[7]
0.229±0.054[6]
0.322±0.058[5]
Tholen = C[1]
SMASS = S[1][3]
B–V = 0.724[1]
U–B = 0.424[1]
8.68±0.65[13]
9.40[1][3][5][7][8][9]

Orbit and classification

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Pepita is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[4] It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.7–3.4 AU once every 5 years and 5 months (1,966 days; semi-major axis of 3.07 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 16° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

In May 1899, the asteroid was first observed as A899 KB at Harvard's Boyden Station in Arequipa, Peru (800). The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Barcelona.[14]

Physical characteristics

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In the SMASS classification, Pepita is a stony S-type asteroid, which agrees with the body's measured geometric albedo (see below).[1][3] Conversely, it is also classified as a carbonaceous C-type asteroid by Tholen.[1]

Rotation period and poles

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Three rotational lightcurves of Pepita were obtained from photometric observations by astronomers Hilari Pallares and Enric Forné (2006, U=2), Pierre Antonini and René Roy (2007, U=3), as well as by Robert Stephens (2007, U=3).[10][12] The consolidated lightcurve gave a well-defined rotation period of 5.1054 hours with a brightness amplitude between 0.31 and 0.36 magnitude.[1][12]

In 2011, a modeled lightcurve using data from the Uppsala Asteroid Photometric Catalogue and other sources gave a concurring sidereal period 5.10532 hours, as well as two spin axes of (25.0°, −34.0°) and (231.0°, −30.0°) in ecliptic coordinates (λ, β).[11]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Pepita measures between 30.88 and 41.733 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.1842 and 0.322.[5][6][7][8][9]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.1991 and a diameter of 39.27 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 9.40.[3][7]

Naming

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This minor planet was named after the discoverer, Josep Comas i Solà (1868–1937), by the feminine form of his nickname, "Pepito". He was the first director of the discovering Fabra Observatory and founded the Astronomical Society of Spain and America (Spanish: Sociedad Astronomica de España y América, SADEYA).[2]

The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 104).[2] The asteroid 1655 Comas Solà is also named after him, as is the Martian crater Comas Sola.[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1102 Pepita (1928 VA)" (2017-07-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1102) Pepita. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 94. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1103. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (1102) Pepita". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Asteroid 1102 Pepita – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b c d e Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System. 12: IRAS-A-FPA-3-RDR-IMPS-V6.0. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  8. ^ 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)
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ a b c Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (1102) Pepita". Geneva Observatory. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  11. ^ a b Hanus, J.; Durech, J.; Broz, M.; Warner, B. D.; Pilcher, F.; Stephens, R.; et al. (June 2011). "A study of asteroid pole-latitude distribution based on an extended set of shape models derived by the lightcurve inversion method". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 530: 16. arXiv:1104.4114. Bibcode:2011A&A...530A.134H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201116738.
  12. ^ a b c Stephens, Robert D.; Sada, Pedro V. (December 2007). "Lightcurve Analysis of 1102 Pepita". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 34 (4): 111. Bibcode:2007MPBu...34..111S. ISSN 1052-8091.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ a b "1102 Pepita (1928 VA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  15. ^ "Martian crater Comas Solá". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology Research Program.
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