2033 Basilea Explained

Minorplanet:yes
2033 Basilea
Background:
  1. D6D6D6
Discovery Ref: 
Discovered:6 February 1973
Mpc Name:(2033) Basilea
Alt Names:1973 CA1953 DA
1953 EY1955 WD
1955 XD
Mp Category:main-belt 
Orbit Ref: 
Epoch:4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty:0
Observation Arc:63.33 yr (23,133 days)
Perihelion:1.9765 AU
Semimajor:2.2250 AU
Eccentricity:0.1117
Period:3.32 yr (1,212 days)
Mean Motion: / day
Inclination:8.4634°
Asc Node:321.72°
Arg Peri:134.56°
Dimensions: km
km
km
7.82 km
Albedo:0.20


Spectral Type:S 
Abs Magnitude:12.712.913.19

2033 Basilea, provisional designation, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 6 February 1973, by astronomer Paul Wild at the Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland. The asteroid was named for the Swiss city of Basel.

Classification and orbit

Basilea orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,212 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.

The asteroid was first identified as at Goethe Link Observatory in February 1953, extending the body's observation arc by 20 years prior to its official discovery observation at Zimmerwakd.

Physical characteristics

Lightcurves

In December 2015, a rotational lightcurve of Basilea was obtained from photometric observations by astronomers Petr Pravec, Peter Kušnirák and Donald Pray. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 6.5287 hours with a brightness variation of 0.28 magnitude .

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Basilea measures between 5.710 and 6.322 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.29 and 0.419.

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 7.82 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.9.

Naming

This minor planet was named for the Swiss city of Basel, as well as for the Astronomical Institute of the University of Basel on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 June 1980 .

External links