Discovered by ODAS MPC designation 24988 Alainmilsztajn Minor planet category main-belt · (inner) Orbits Sun Discoverer OCA-DLR Asteroid Survey | Discovery date 19 June 1998 Alternative names 1998 MM2 · 2000 AK75 Discovered 19 June 1998 Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Named after Alain Milsztajn
(astronomer) Discovery site Centre de recherches en géodynamique et astrométrie | ||
24988 Alainmilsztajn, provisional designation 1998 MM2, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 June 1998, by the OCA-DLR Asteroid Survey (ODAS) at CERGA, Caussols, in southeastern France.
The S-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.1–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,363 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at the Steward Observatory (Kitt Peak) in 1995, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 3 years prior to its discovery.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 2.2 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an exceptionally high albedo of 0.42, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 2.5 kilometers.
A rotational light-curve of this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations made at the U.S. Palomar Transient Factory in October 2010. The fragmentary light-curve gave a rotation period of 7000285160000000000♠2.8516±0.0008 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.09 in magnitude (U=1).
The minor planet was named in memory of French particle physicist and astronomer Alain Milsztajn (1955–2007). His research included the structure of the proton and the quest of detecting dark matter by means of gravitational lensing. Naming citation was published on 19 August 2008 (M.P.C. 63641).