Vala (minor planet designation: 131 Vala) is an inner main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on 24 May 1873, and derives its name from völva (vǫlva, lit. 'staff bearer'), a prophetess in Norse paganism.[4] One observation of an occultation of a star by Vala is from Italy (26 May 2002). 10-μm radiometric data collected from Kitt Peak in 1975 gave a diameter estimate of 34 km.[5]
 Orbital diagram | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters |
| Discovery date | 24 May 1873 |
| Designations | |
| (131) Vala | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈvɑːlə/[2] |
Named after | vǫlva |
| A873 KA; 1945 KA; 1952 DS3; 1953 QE | |
| Main belt[1] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 142.88 yr (52187 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.60 AU (388.64 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.27 AU (338.99 Gm) |
| 2.43 AU (363.82 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.068233 |
| 3.79 yr (1,385.3 d) | |
Average orbital speed | 19.08 km/s |
| 289.275° | |
| 0° 15m 35.532s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.9602° |
| 65.682° | |
| 160.641° | |
| Earth MOID | 1.26 AU (187.95 Gm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 2.38 AU (355.52 Gm) |
| TJupiter | 3.499 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 40.44±1.8 km[1] |
| Mass | 6.9×1016 kg |
Equatorial surface gravity | 0.0113 m/s² |
Equatorial escape velocity | 0.0214 km/s |
| 5.1812 h (0.21588 d)[1] | |
| 0.1051±0.010 | |
| Temperature | ~178 K |
| K[3] (Bus) | |
| 10.03[1] | |
In the Tholen classification system, it is categorized as an SU-type asteroid, while the Bus asteroid taxonomy system lists it as a K-type asteroid.[3] Photometric observations of this asteroid during 2007 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico were used to create a "nearly symmetric bimodal" light curve plot. This showed a rotation period of 10.359 ± 0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.09 ± 0.02 magnitude during each cycle.[6] The result is double the 5.18-hour period reported in the JPL Small-Body Database.[1]
On 2028-Apr-05, Vala will pass 0.0276 AU (4,130,000 km; 2,570,000 mi) from asteroid 2 Pallas.[7]
References
Further reading
- Franco, Lorenzo; et al. (October 2019), "Spin-Shape Model for 131 Vala", Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, 46 (4): 392–394, Bibcode:2019MPBu...46..392F
External links
- 131 Vala at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 131 Vala at the JPL Small-Body Database
