13260 Sabadell

Orbit and classification

Sabadell is a core member of the Eunomia family (502), a large group of S-type asteroids and the most prominent family in the intermediate main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.1–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,486 days; semi-major axis of 2.55 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 13° with respect to the ecliptic. A first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in January 1952, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 46 years prior to its official discovery at Montjoia Observatory.

Naming

This minor planet was named for the well known Catalan–Spanish amateur astronomical society Agrupació Astronómica de Sabadell, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2000. Both discoverers are members of this society. The approved was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 July 2000 (M.P.C. 41032). The society uses the Observatorio de Sabadell , one of the country's most prolific amateur observatories, located in a park in the center of Sabadell, near Barcelona, Spain.

Physical characteristics

Lightcurves

In 2006, a rotational lightcurve was obtained from photometric observations by Italian astronomers Silvano Casulli and Antonio Vagnozzi. It gave a well-defined rotation period of hours with a high brightness amplitude of in magnitude (), indicative of an elongated, non-spherical shape.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 5.3 kilometers in diameter and has a high surface albedo of 0.31, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.21 and calculates a diameter of 6.1 kilometers, as the lower the body's albedo (reflectivity) the higher its diameter, at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).

References

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info )
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR, Geneva Observatory, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (10001)-(15000), Minor Planet Center
• Asteroid 13260 Sabadell, Small Bodies Data Ferret