1299 Mertona

1299 Mertona (prov. designation: 1934 BA) is a bright background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 18 January 1934, by French astronomer Guy Reiss at Algiers Observatory, Algeria, in northern Africa.^[1] The likely stony asteroid with an unknown spectral type has a rotation period of 5.0 hours and measures approximately 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) in diameter. It was named after English astronomer Gerald Merton.^[2]

1299 Mertona

Modelled shape of Mertona, from its lightcurve
Discovery[1]
Discovered by	G. Reiss
Discovery site	Algiers Obs.
Discovery date	18 January 1934
Designations
MPC designation	(1299) Mertona
Named after	Gerald Merton (English astronomer)[2]
Alternative designations	1934 BA
Minor planet category	main-belt[1][3] · (middle) background[4][5]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	82.85 yr (30,260 days)
Aphelion	3.3325 AU
Perihelion	2.2706 AU
Semi-major axis	2.8016 AU
Eccentricity	0.1895
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.69 yr (1,713 days)
Mean anomaly	328.61°
Mean motion	0° 12m 36.72s / day
Inclination	7.8754°
Longitude of ascending node	165.61°
Argument of perihelion	260.44°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	14.140±0.322 km[6] 14.90±1.23 km[7]
Synodic rotation period	4.977±0.003 h[8]
Pole ecliptic latitude	(73.0°, 35.0°) (λ1/β1)[5]
Geometric albedo	0.219±0.038[7] 0.243±0.033[6]
Spectral type	unknown
Absolute magnitude (H)	11.277±0.002 (R)[9] · 11.4[10][7] · 11.5[3][11]

Orbit and classification

Mertona is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population when applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements.^[4][5] It orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.3–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,713 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.^[3] As neither precoveries nor prior identifications were obtained, Mertona's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Algiers.^[1]

Naming

This minor planet was named after English astronomer Gerald Merton (1893–1983),^[2] who was president of the British Astronomical Association between 1950 and 1952.^[12] The naming was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 119).^[2]

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

Several rotational lightcurves of Mertona were obtained during 2003–2016. Photometric observations were taken by astronomers Andy Monson and Steven Kipp (4.977±0.003 hours; Δ0.55 mag; U=3) in November 2003,^[8] by French amateur astronomer René Roy (4.981±0.002 hours; Δ0.46 mag; U=3) in March 2005,^[13] by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory (4.9787±0.0013 hours, Δ0.48 mag, U=2) in August 2012,^[9] and by Daniel Klinglesmith (4.978±0.002 hours, Δ0.59 mag, U=3) at Etscorn Observatory (719) in Socorro, New Mexico.^[14] In addition, a 2016-published lightcurve, modelling data from the Lowell photometric database, gave a concurring period of 4.97691±0.00001 hours and a spin axis of (73.0°, 35.0°) in ecliptic coordinates (U=n.a.).^[15]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Mertona measures between 14.14 and 14.90 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.219 and 0.243.^[6][7] Although such a high albedo is typical for stony asteroids, the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.057, which it uses as the generic albedo for all carbonaceous C-type asteroids. It therefore calculates a larger diameter of 27.90 kilometers (as the lower the albedo or reflectivity, the larger a body's diameter at an unchanged absolute magnitude or brightness).^[11] Carbonaceous asteroids are the predominant type in the outer main-belt, while stony asteroids are mostly found in the inner regions of the asteroid belt.