1067 Lunaria, provisional designation 1926 RG, is a stony Itha asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 18 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 September 1926, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany.[13] The asteroid was named after the flowering plant Lunaria (honesty).[3]

1067 Lunaria
Discovery[1]
Discovered byK. Reinmuth
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date9 September 1926
Designations
(1067) Lunaria
Pronunciation/lˈnɛəriə/[2]
Named after
Lunaria (flowering plant)[3]
1926 RG · 1974 PJ
1974 QC3
main-belt · (outer)[4]
Itha[5]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc90.74 yr (33,142 days)
Aphelion3.4206 AU
Perihelion2.3207 AU
2.8706 AU
Eccentricity0.1916
4.86 yr (1,777 days)
222.90°
0° 12m 9.36s / day
Inclination10.547°
289.59°
115.03°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions15.43±0.73 km[6]
18.02±1.33 km[7]
18.07 km (derived)[4]
20.011±0.100 km[8]
22.968±0.243 km[9]
6.057±0.001 h[10]
7.74 h[11]
0.1240±0.0225[9]
0.185±0.012[8]
0.20 (assumed)[4]
0.221±0.034[7]
0.298±0.057[6]
L/S[12] · S[4]
10.85±0.31[12] · 10.99[1][6][7] · 11.08[4][9][11]

Orbit and classification

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Lunaria is a member of the Itha family,[5] a very small family of asteroids, named after its parent body 918 Itha.[14]: 23 

It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.3–3.4 AU once every 4 years and 10 months (1,777 days; semi-major axis of 2.87 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The body's observation arc begins at Heidelberg in October 1926, one month after its official discovery observation.[13]

Physical characteristics

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Lunaria has been characterized as both L- and S-type asteroid by Pan-STARRS photometric survey.[12] The overall spectral type for the Itha family is that of a stony S-type.[14]: 23 

Rotation period

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In July 1984, a first rotational lightcurve of Lunaria was obtained by American astronomer Richard Binzel. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 7.74 hours with a brightness variation of 0.13 magnitude (U=2).[11] In September 2004, Donald Pray at the Carbuncle Hill Observatory (I00) derived a refined period of 6.057 hours with an amplitude of 0.27 magnitude from photometric observations (U=3).[10]

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, Lunaria measures between 15.43 and 22.968 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.1240 and 0.298.[6][7][8][9]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and derives a diameter of 18.07 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.08.[4]

Naming

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This minor planet was named after Lunaria (commonly known as "honesty"), a flowering plant in the mustard family. The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 101).[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 exclusively named after plants, in particular flowering plants (also see list of minor planets named after animals and plants).[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1067 Lunaria (1926 RG)" (2017-06-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  2. ^ "lunarian". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1067) Lunaria". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 91. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1068. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (1067) Lunaria". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Asteroid 1067 Lunaria – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  6. ^ 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 7 December 2017.
  7. ^ 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)
  8. ^ 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.
  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 Pray, Donald P. (March 2005). "Lightcurve analysis of asteroids 276, 539, 1014, 1067, 3693 and 4774". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 32 (1): 8–9. Bibcode:2005MPBu...32....8P. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  11. ^ a b c Binzel, R. P. (October 1987). "A photoelectric survey of 130 asteroids". Icarus. 72 (1): 135–208. Bibcode:1987Icar...72..135B. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(87)90125-4. ISSN 0019-1035. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  12. ^ a b c 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 7 December 2017.
  13. ^ a b "1067 Lunaria (1926 RG)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  14. ^ a b Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131.
  15. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1054) Forsytia". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 90. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1055. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
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