1247 Memoria

1247 Memoria, provisional designation 1932 QA, is a dark Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 37 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Marguerite Laugier at Uccle Observatory in 1932, who later named it Memoria in memory of her pleasant stay at the discovering observatory.

1247 Memoria

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	M. Laugier
Discovery site	Uccle Obs.
Discovery date	30 August 1932
Designations
MPC designation	(1247) Memoria
Pronunciation	/mɪˈmɔːriə/[2]
Named after	memoria[3] (Latin for memory; remembrance)
Alternative designations	1932 QA · 1927 UL 1931 JU · 1936 FN A905 WA
Minor planet category	main-belt · (outer) Themis[4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	112.03 yr (40,920 days)
Aphelion	3.6792 AU
Perihelion	2.5851 AU
Semi-major axis	3.1321 AU
Eccentricity	0.1747
Orbital period (sidereal)	5.54 yr (2,025 days)
Mean anomaly	130.45°
Mean motion	0° 10m 40.08s / day
Inclination	1.7780°
Longitude of ascending node	161.73°
Argument of perihelion	139.43°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	35.97±1.9 km[5] 38.906±0.174 km[6]
Geometric albedo	0.078±0.014[7] 0.0846±0.009[5]
Spectral type	Tholen = CXF[1] B–V = 0.680[1] U–B = 0.290[1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	10.52[1]

Discovery

Memoria was discovered on 30 August 1932, by French astronomer Marguerite Laugier at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle.^[8] On the same night, it was independently discovered by Soviet astronomer Grigory Neujmin at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. One week later, on 6 September 1932, it was again independently discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory.^[3] The Minor Planet Center only recognizes the first discoverer.^[8]

Orbit and classification

Memoria belongs to the Themis family (602), a very large family of typically carbonaceous asteroids, named after 24 Themis.^[4][9]: 23 It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.6–3.7 AU once every 5 years and 6 months (2,025 days; semi-major axis of 3.13 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1]

The asteroid was first observed as A905 WA at Heidelberg Observatory in November 1905. The body's observation arc begins as 1931 JU at Johannesburg Observatory in May 1931, or 15 months prior to its official discovery observation at Uccle.^[8]

Physical characteristics

In the Tholen classification, Memoria's spectral type is ambiguous, closest to a carbonaceous C-type, and somewhat similar to an X- and F-type asteroid (CXF).^[1] The overall spectral type for members of the Themis family is that of a C-type.^[9]: 23

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Memoria has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, shape and poles remain unknown.^[1][10]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Memoria measures 35.97 and 38.906 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.0846 and 0.078, respectively.^[6][7]

Naming

This minor planet was named "memoria" (Latin for memory or remembrance) by the French discoverer Marguerite Laugier who remembered the pleasant relationships she had during her stay at the discovering Uccle Observatory, Belgium, in 1932. The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 115).^[3]