31824 Elatus (/ˈɛlətəs/; provisional designation 1999 UG5) is a very red centaur from the outer Solar System, approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 29 October 1999, by astronomers of the Catalina Sky Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona, United States.[5] The minor planet was named after Elatus, a centaur from Greek mythology.[3]

31824 Elatus
Hubble Space Telescope image of Elatus taken in 2009
Discovery[1]
Discovered byCatalina Sky Srvy.
Discovery siteMount Lemmon Obs.
Discovery date29 October 1999
Designations
(31824) Elatus
Pronunciation/ˈɛlətəs/[2]
Named after
Elatus[3] (Greek mythology)
1999 UG5
centaur[1][4] · distant[5]
Symbol or (astrological)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc10.58 yr (3,864 days)
Aphelion16.298 AU
Perihelion7.3239 AU
11.811 AU
Eccentricity0.3799
40.59 yr (14,826 days)
170.74°
0° 1m 27.48s / day
Inclination5.2447°
87.158°
281.62°
Physical characteristics
45.87 km (derived)[4]
49.8±10.4 km[6]
57.000±15.900 km[7]
26.5 h[8]
26.82 h[9]
0.049±0.028[6]
0.050±0.028[7]
0.057 (assumed)[4]
RR[10]
B–V = 1.020±0.060[11]
V–R = 0.620±0.048[11]
10.1[1] · 10.32[9] · 10.40±0.09[6] · 10.42[8][4] · 10.439±0.107 (R)[12] · 10.49[13] · 10.61[14]

Orbit and classification

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Elatus orbits the Sun at a distance of 7.3–16.3 AU once every 40 years and 7 months (14,826 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.38 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at Apache Point Observatory in September 1998, thirteen months prior to its official discovery observation.[5]

Naming

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This minor planet was named after Elatus, a centaur from Greek mythology, who was killed during a battle with Heracles (also see 5143 Heracles) by a poisoned arrow that passed through his arm and continued to wound Chiron in the knee (also see 2060 Chiron). The name "Elatus" means "fir man" and is associated with woodlands.[3] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 14 June 2003 (M.P.C. 49102).[15]

Physical characteristics

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Rotation period

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Two rotational lightcurves of Elatus were obtained from photometric observations. Lightcurve analysis gave a longer-than-average rotation period of 26.5 and 26.82 hours with a concurring brightness variation of 0.10 magnitude (U=2/2).[8][9]

Diameter and albedo

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According to observations by ESA's Herschel Space Observatory with its PACS instrument and the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Elatus measures 49.8 and 57.000 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.049 and 0.050, respectively.[6][7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous minor planets of 0.057 and derives a diameter of 45.87 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.42.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 31824 Elatus (1999 UG5)" (2009-04-18 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  2. ^ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  3. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). "(31824) Elatus [11.8, 0.38, 5.3]". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2003–2005. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 198. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-34361-5_2331. ISBN 978-3-540-34361-5.
  4. ^ a b c d e "LCDB Data for (31824) Elatus". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "31824 Elatus (1999 UG5)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d Duffard, R.; Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Santos-Sanz, P.; Vilenius, E.; Ortiz, J. L.; Mueller, T.; et al. (April 2014). ""TNOs are Cool": A survey of the trans-Neptunian region. XI. A Herschel-PACS view of 16 Centaurs". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 564: 17. arXiv:1309.0946. Bibcode:2014A&A...564A..92D. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201322377. S2CID 119177446.
  7. ^ a b c Bauer, James M.; Grav, Tommy; Blauvelt, Erin; Mainzer, A. K.; Masiero, Joseph R.; Stevenson, Rachel; et al. (August 2013). "Centaurs and Scattered Disk Objects in the Thermal Infrared: Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE Observations". The Astrophysical Journal. 773 (1): 11. arXiv:1306.1862. Bibcode:2013ApJ...773...22B. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/773/1/22. S2CID 51139703.
  8. ^ a b c Gutiérrez, P. J.; Ortiz, J. L.; Alexandrino, E.; Roos-Serote, M.; Doressoundiram, A. (June 2001). "Short term variability of Centaur 1999 UG5". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 371: L1–L4. Bibcode:2001A&A...371L...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20010418.
  9. ^ a b c Bauer, James M.; Meech, Karen J.; Fernández, Yanga R.; Farnham, Tony L.; Roush, Ted L. (December 2002). "Observations of the Centaur 1999 UG5: Evidence of a Unique Outer Solar System Surface". The Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 114 (802): 1309–1321. Bibcode:2002PASP..114.1309B. doi:10.1086/344586.
  10. ^ Lowry, Stephen C.; Weissman, Paul R. (May 2007). "Rotation and color properties of the nucleus of Comet 2P/Encke". Icarus. 188 (1): 212–223. arXiv:astro-ph/0612380. Bibcode:2007Icar..188..212L. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.11.014. S2CID 119024049.
  11. ^ a b Hainaut, O. R.; Boehnhardt, H.; Protopapa, S. (October 2012). "Colours of minor bodies in the outer solar system. II. A statistical analysis revisited". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 546: 20. arXiv:1209.1896. Bibcode:2012A&A...546A.115H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219566. S2CID 54776793. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  12. ^ Peixinho, N.; Delsanti, A.; Guilbert-Lepoutre, A.; Gafeira, R.; Lacerda, P. (October 2012). "The bimodal colors of Centaurs and small Kuiper belt objects". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 546: 12. arXiv:1206.3153. Bibcode:2012A&A...546A..86P. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219057. S2CID 55876118. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  13. ^ Romanishin, W.; Tegler, S. C. (December 2005). "Accurate absolute magnitudes for Kuiper belt objects and Centaurs". Icarus. 179 (2): 523–526. Bibcode:2005Icar..179..523R. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2005.06.016. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  14. ^ Peixinho, N.; Lacerda, P.; Ortiz, J. L.; Doressoundiram, A.; Roos-Serote, M.; Gutiérrez, P. J. (May 2001). "Photometric study of Centaurs 10199 Chariklo (1997 CU26) and 1999 UG5". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 371 (2): 753–759. Bibcode:2001A&A...371..753P. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20010382.
  15. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
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