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2035 Stearns, provisional designation 1973 SC, is a bright Hungaria asteroid and sizable Mars-crosser inside the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 21 September 1973, by American astronomer James Gibson at the Leoncito Astronomical Complex in Argentina. The transitional E-type asteroid has a long rotation period of 93 hours. It was named after American astronomer Carl Leo Stearns.

Orbit and classification

Stearns is a dynamical Hungaria asteroid, a large group that forms the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. It is also a Mars-crossing asteroid, a member of the dynamically unstable group, located between the main belt and near-Earth populations, and crossing the orbit of Mars at 1.666 AU.

The asteroid orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.64–2.13 AU once every 2 years and 7 months (945 days; semi-major axis of 1.88 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 28° with respect to the ecliptic.

The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in January 1954, nearly 20 years prior to its official discovery observation at Leoncito.

Physical characteristics

In the Tholen classification, Stearns is a bright E-type asteroid. while in the SMASS classification and Bus-DeMeo taxonomy, it is an Xe-subtype that transitions from the X-type to the E-type.

Rotation period

Several rotational lightcurve of Stearns have been obtained from photometric observations since 1988. Analysis of the best-rated lightcurve by Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies (U81) gave a rotation period of 93 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.20 magnitude (U=2+). This makes the asteroid as close slow rotator.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Stearns measures between 4.82 and 6.00 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.443 and 0.65. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for members of the Hungaria family of 0.40, and derives a diameter of 5.28 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 13.0.

Naming

This minor planet was named after Carl Leo Stearns (1892–1972), American astronomer at Wesleyan University and Van Vleck Observatory who measured a large number of stellar parallaxes. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 November 1978 (M.P.C. 4548). The lunar crater Stearns was also named in his honor.

Notes

1. ^ Lightcurve plot of (2035) Stearns with a rotation period 93±1 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.20 mag. Taken by Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies (CS3) in 2014. Quality code is 2+. Summary figures at the LCDB.

References

1. ^ "2035 Stearns (1973 SC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
2. ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2035 Stearns (1973 SC)" (2018-01-27 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
3. ^ "LCDB Data for (2035) Stearns". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 25 May 2018.
4. ^ Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Masiero, J.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; et al. (December 2015). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year One: Preliminary Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 814 (2): 13. arXiv:1509.02522. Bibcode:2015ApJ...814..117N. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/814/2/117.
5. ^ Alí-Lagoa, V.; Delbo', M. (July 2017). "Sizes and albedos of Mars-crossing asteroids from WISE/NEOWISE data". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 603: 8. arXiv:1705.10263. Bibcode:2017A&A...603A..55A. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201629917.
6. ^ Warner, Brian D. (July 2011). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory: 2010 December- 2011 March". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 38 (3): 142–149. Bibcode:2011MPBu...38..142W. ISSN 1052-8091.
7. ^ Shevchenko, V. G.; Krugly, Yu. N.; Chiorny, V. G.; Belskaya, I. N.; Gaftonyuk, N. M. (August 2003). "Rotation and photometric properties of E-type asteroids". Planetary and Space Science. 51 (9–10): 525–532. Bibcode:2003P&SS...51..525S. doi:10.1016/S0032-0633(03)00076-X.
8. ^ Stephens, Robert D. (October 2014). "Asteroids Observed from CS3: 2014 April-June". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 41 (4): 226–230. Bibcode:2014MPBu...41..226S. ISSN 1052-8091.
9. ^ "Asteroid 2035 Stearns". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
10. Wisniewski, W. Z.; Michalowski, T. M.; Harris, A. W.; McMillan, R. S. (March 1995). "Photoelectric Observations of 125 Asteroids". Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 26: 1511. Bibcode:1995LPI....26.1511W.
11. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2009). "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 221. Bibcode:2009dmpn.book.....S. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7.

• Minor planet object articles (numbered)
• Hungaria asteroids
• Mars-crossing asteroids
• Discoveries by James B. Gibson (astronomer)
• Named minor planets
• E-type asteroids (Tholen)
• Xe-type asteroids (SMASS)
• Astronomical objects discovered in 1973