745 Mauritia (prov. designation: A913 EH or 1913 QX) is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 24 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 1 March 1913, by German astronomer Franz Kaiser at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in Germany.[1] The presumed carbonaceous C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 9.9 hours. It was named after Saint Maurice, patron of the Saint Mauritius church in the city of Wiesbaden, where the discoverer was born.[3]

745 Mauritia
Discovery [1]
Discovered byF. Kaiser
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date1 March 1913
Designations
(745) Mauritia
Pronunciation/mɒˈrɪʃ(i)ə/[2]
Named after
Saint Maurice[3]
(Christian martyr)
A913 EH · 1972 BM
1913 QX
Orbital characteristics[4]
Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc107.16 yr (39,139 d)
Aphelion3.3943 AU
Perihelion3.1332 AU
3.2638 AU
Eccentricity0.0400
5.90 yr (2,154 d)
104.57°
0° 10m 1.92s / day
Inclination13.324°
125.68°
26.747°
Physical characteristics
9.945±0.001 h[10][a]
  • 0.200±0.023[9]
  • 0.249±0.032[8]
C (assumed)[11]

Orbit and classification

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Mauritia is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population when applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements.[5][6][7] It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 3.1–3.4 AU once every 5 years and 11 months (2,154 days; semi-major axis of 3.26 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.04 and an inclination of 13° with respect to the ecliptic.[4] The body's observation arc begins at Heidelberg on 3 January 1918, almost five years after its official discovery observation.[1]

Naming

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This minor planet was named after 3rd-century Christian martyr Saint Maurice, who is the patron of the St. Mauritius (Wiesbaden) [de] church in Wiesbaden, Germany, where the discoverer was born (also see 717 Wisibada). The Swiss village Saint-Maurice, where he died in AD 287 is also named after Saint Maurice. The naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 75).[3]

Physical characteristics

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Mauritia is an assumed, carbonaceous C-type asteroid due to its low albedo (see below) and its location in the outer asteroid belt.[11] However, D-type and P-type asteroids fulfill the location and albedo-based criterions as well.

Rotation period

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In March 2013, a first rotational lightcurve of Mauritia was obtained from photometric observations over six nights by Frederick Pilcher at the Organ Mesa Observatory (G50) in New Mexico, United States. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 9.945±0.001 hours with a brightness variation of 0.12±0.02 magnitude (U=3).[10][a]

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 (WISE), Mauritia measures (23.23±1.38) and (24.711±0.288) kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of (0.249±0.032) and (0.200±0.023), respectively.[8][9] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a carbonaceous asteroid of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 44.22 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.5. The WISE team also published an alternative mean diameter of (27.004±0.348 km) with an albedo of (0.1696±0.0062).[11]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Lightcurve-plot of (745) Mauritia, by Frederick Pilcher at the Organ Mesa Observatory (2013). Rotation period 9.945±0.001 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.12±0.02 mag. Quality code is 3. Summary figures at the LCDB and ALSC websites.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "745 Mauritia (A913 EH)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Mauritian, Mauritius". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(745) Mauritia". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 71. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_746. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  4. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 745 Mauritia (A913 EH)" (2020-04-27 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Asteroid 745 Mauritia – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Asteroid 745 Mauritia". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  7. ^ a b Zappalà, V.; Bendjoya, Ph.; Cellino, A.; Farinella, P.; Froeschle, C. (1997). "Asteroid Dynamical Families". NASA Planetary Data System: EAR-A-5-DDR-FAMILY-V4.1. Retrieved 8 June 2020.} (PDS main page)
  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. K.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; Kramer, E. A.; Masiero, J. R.; et al. (June 2016). "NEOWISE Diameters and Albedos V1.0". NASA Planetary Data System. Bibcode:2016PDSS..247.....M. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  10. ^ a b Pilcher, Frederick (July 2013). "Rotation Period Determinations for 102 Miriam, 108 Hecuba, 221 Eos 225 Oppavia, and 745 Mauritia, and a Note on 871 Amneris" (PDF). Minor Planet Bulletin. 40 (3): 158–160. Bibcode:2013MPBu...40..158P. ISSN 1052-8091. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "LCDB Data for (745) Mauritia". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 8 June 2020.
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