1116 Catriona

Classification and orbit

Catriona is not a member of any identified asteroid family. It orbits the Sun in the outer main belt at a distance of 2.3–3.6 AU once every 5.00 years (1,826 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 17° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Johannesburg.

Naming

This minor planet was probably named after Catriona, the 1893-novel by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894), who was a Scottish poet, novelist and travel writer. The naming citation is based on Lutz Schmadel's research including feedback from R. Bremer.

Physical characteristics

Catriona is an assumed carbonaceous C-type asteroid.

Rotation period

In December 2003, the best-rated rotational lightcurve of Catriona was obtained from photometric observations by American astronomer John Menke at his Menke Observatory in Barnesville, Maryland (no obs. code). Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 8.83 hours with a notably low brightness variation of 0.09 magnitude, indicative of a spheroidal shape (). Additional photometric observations gave a concurring period of 8.832 hours, while others gave a longer period of 10.49 and 12.06 hours ().

Diameter and albedo

According to observations by astronomers at the Rozhen Observatory in Bulgaria, as well as the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Catriona measures between 36.71 and 41.010 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.1397 and 0.175.

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.1395 and a diameter of 39.02 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 9.8.

Notes

References