1045 Michela

1045 Michela, provisional designation 1924 TR, is an stony Massalian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers (4 miles) kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 November 1924, by Belgian–American astronomer George Van Biesbroeck at the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States.^[1] The S-type asteroid was named after the discoverer's daughter, Micheline van Biesbroeck.^[2]

1045 Michela

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	G. van Biesbroeck
Discovery site	Yerkes Obs.
Discovery date	19 November 1924
Designations
MPC designation	(1045) Michela
Named after	Micheline van Biesbroeck[2] (discoverer's daughter)
Alternative designations	1924 TR · 1953 VB2 1964 XJ · 1976 AL
Minor planet category	main-belt[1][3] · (inner) Massalia[4]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	63.64 yr (23,246 d)
Aphelion	2.7348 AU
Perihelion	1.9811 AU
Semi-major axis	2.3580 AU
Eccentricity	0.1598
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.62 yr (1,323 d)
Mean anomaly	259.96°
Mean motion	0° 16m 19.92s / day
Inclination	0.2648°
Longitude of ascending node	267.71°
Argument of perihelion	166.97°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	6.104±0.265 km[5]
Geometric albedo	0.328±0.077[5]
Spectral type	SMASS = S[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.0[3]

Orbit and classification

Michela is a member of the Massalia family (404),^[4] a very large inner belt asteroid family consisting of stony asteroids.^[6] It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,323 days; semi-major axis of 2.36 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 0° with respect to the ecliptic.^[3]

The asteroid's observation arc begins with its observation as 1953 VB₂ at the Goethe Link Observatory in November 1953, or 29 years after to its official discovery observation.^[1]

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS classification, Michela is a common, stony S-type asteroid,^[3] which is also the overall spectral type for Massalian asteroids.^[6]: 23

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Michela measures 6.104 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.328.^[5]

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Michela has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.^[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Micheline van Biesbroeck, daughter of the discoverer George Van Biesbroeck. The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 99).^[2]