1235 Schorria

Orbit and classification

Schorria is a Mars-crossing member of the Hungaria asteroids, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.6–2.2 AU once every 2 years and 8 months (964 days; semi-major axis of 1.91 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 25° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins at Heidelberg two weeks after its official discovery observation, as no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made.

Naming

This minor planet was named after Richard Schorr (1867–1951), a German astronomer at Bergedorf Observatory, Hamburg, who discovered the minor planets 869 Mellena and 1240 Centenaria. After being named by ARI with the consent of the discoverer (RI 862), naming citation was later published by Paul Herget in The Names of the Minor Planets in 1955 (H 114). The lunar crater Schorr is also named in the astronomer's honour. In 1913, asteroid 725 Amanda was already named after Schorr's wife by discovering astronomer Johann Palisa.

Physical characteristics

In the Tholen taxonomy, Schorria spectral type is closest to that of a carbonaceous C-type and somewhat similar to that of an X-type asteroid though with a noisy spectrum (CX:).

Slow rotator

In March 2009, a rotational lightcurve of Schorria was obtained from photometric observations by American astronomers Brian Warner and Robert Stephens. Light curve analysis of the two astronomer's combined data set of almost 2000 photometric observations revealed that this Mars-crosser is one of the slowest rotating asteroids known to exist. It has a rotation period of hours, or about 52 days, with a high brightness variation of in magnitude (), which is indicative of a non-spheroidal shape. The body was also suspected to be in a tumbling state. However, no significant evidence of such a non-principal axis rotation could be found.

Diameter and albedo

According to the space-based survey by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Schorria measures () kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of (). Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, the body measures between 7 and 15 kilometers, for an absolute magnitude at 13 and an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25, while Warner/Stephens estimated a diameter of approximately 9 kilometers in 2009.

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link calculates a diameter of 5.04 kilometers based on an albedo of 0.40, which is contrary to an expected low albedo for dark, carbonaceous CX-type asteroids as classified by Tholen, but typical for the descendants of the E-belt, a hypothesized population of primordial asteroids, which the E-type Hungarian asteroids with high inclinations and a semi-major axis of 1.9 AU are thought to have originated from.

Notes

References