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1513 Mátra, provisional designation 1940 EB, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 10 March 1940, by Hungarian astronomer György Kulin at Konkoly Observatory in Budapest, Hungary. It was later named after the Mátra mountain range.

Orbit and classification

Mátra is a member of the Flora family, a large group of stony S-type asteroids in the inner main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.4 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,186 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.

One day prior to Mátra's official discovery observation at Konkoly, a precovery was taken at Nice Observatory. However, the body's observation arc begins 10 years later in 1950, when it was observed at the La Plata Observatory in Argentina.

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

American astronomer Richard P. Binzel obtained a rotational light-curve of Mátra from photometric observation in the 1980s. It gave a tentative rotation period of 24 hours with a brightness variation of 0.1 magnitude (U=1). As of 2017, a secure period still has yet to be determined.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Mátra measures between 4.96 and 6.60 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.189 and 0.34.

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from the family's largest body and namesake, the asteroid 8 Flora – and calculates a diameter of 5.85 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.33.

Naming

This minor planet was named after the Mátra mountain range in northern Hungary, where the outstation of the discovering Konkoly Observatory is located. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 February 1980 (M.P.C. 5182).

References

1. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1513 Matra (1940 EB)" (2017-02-14 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
2. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1513) Mátra". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1513) Mátra. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 120. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1514. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
3. ^ "LCDB Data for (1513) Mátra". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 4 January 2017.
4. ^ Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Kramer, E. A.; Grav, T.; et al. (September 2016). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year Two: Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (3): 12. arXiv:1606.08923. Bibcode:2016AJ....152...63N. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/3/63.
5. ^ 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. S2CID 9341381. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
6. ^ 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. S2CID 46350317. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
7. ^ Binzel, R. P.; Mulholland, J. D. (December 1983). "A photoelectric lightcurve survey of small main belt asteroids". Icarus. 56 (3): 519–533. Bibcode:1983Icar...56..519B. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(83)90170-7. ISSN 0019-1035. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
8. ^ "1513 Matra (1940 EB)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
9. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 January 2017.

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
• 1513 Mátra at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 1513 Mátra at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters

• Minor planet object articles (numbered)
• Flora asteroids
• Discoveries by György Kulin
• Named minor planets
• Astronomical objects discovered in 1940