1041 Asta

1041 Asta, provisional designation 1925 FA, is a carbonaceous background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 57 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 March 1925, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.^[14] The asteroid was likely named after Danish actress Asta Nielsen.

1041 Asta

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	K. Reinmuth
Discovery site	Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date	22 March 1925
Designations
MPC designation	(1041) Asta
Named after	Asta Nielsen[2] (Danish actress)
Alternative designations	1925 FA · 1938 SJ1 1949 UQ · 1949 UX 1951 CQ1 · 1956 AT A906 VA · A917 YB
Minor planet category	main-belt · (outer)[3] background[4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	110.65 yr (40,416 days)
Aphelion	3.5142 AU
Perihelion	2.6335 AU
Semi-major axis	3.0738 AU
Eccentricity	0.1433
Orbital period (sidereal)	5.39 yr (1,968 days)
Mean anomaly	203.59°
Mean motion	0° 10m 58.44s / day
Inclination	13.934°
Longitude of ascending node	60.001°
Argument of perihelion	343.95°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	43.46±10.89 km[5] 44.05±11.20 km[6] 49.43±0.78 km[7] 57.16 km (derived)[3] 58.88±0.87 km[8] 60.571±0.199 km[9] 61.852±1.162 km[10]
Synodic rotation period	7.554±0.001 h[11] 7.99±0.02 h[12]
Geometric albedo	0.0421±0.0028[10] 0.047±0.002[8] 0.047±0.006[9] 0.0493 (derived)[3] 0.066±0.010[7] 0.07±0.04[5] 0.08±0.06[6]
Spectral type	SMASS = C[1][3] · C[13]
Absolute magnitude (H)	10.08±0.31[13] · 10.10[1][3][5][8][7][10] · 10.17[6]

Orbit and classification

Asta is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.^[4] It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.6–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 5 months (1,968 days; semi-major axis of 3.07 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 14° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1] The asteroid was first observed as A906 VA at Heidelberg in November 1906, where the body's observation arc begins one month later in December 1906.^[14]

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS classification, Asta is a carbonaceous C-type asteroid.^[1] Pan-STARRS photometric survey also characterizes the asteroid as a C-type.^[13]

Rotation period

Photometric observations of Asta collected at the Australian Oakley Southern Sky Observatory and the U.S. Oakley Observatory in October 2008 show a rotation period of 7.99 hours with a brightness variation of 0.22 magnitude (U=2+).^[12] In February 2010, a refined lightcurve with a period of 7.554 hours and an amplitude of 0.14 magnitude was obtained by French amateur astronomer Pierre Antonini, who also mentioned the possibility of an alternative period solution (U=3-).^[11]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Asta measures between 43.46 and 61.852 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.0421 and 0.08.^{[5][6][7][8][9][10]}

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0493 and a diameter of 57.16 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.1.^[3]

Naming

This minor planet was likely named after Danish actress Asta Nielsen (1881–1972), according to research by the author of the Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Lutz Schmadel (LDS). The naming was proposed by ARI-astronomer Gustav Stracke.^[2]