Discovered by K. Reinmuth MPC designation 2500 Alascattalo Discovered 2 April 1926 Orbits Sun | Discovery date 2 April 1926 Aphelion 2.46 m Discoverer Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth | |
Named after Alascattalo(mythological creature) Alternative names 1926 GC · 1927 TA1946 FB · 1981 VD Discovery site Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory Similar 911 Agamemnon, 2101 Adonis, 1862 Apollo, Sun, 1419 Danzig | ||
2500 Alascattalo, provisional designation 1926 GC, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 2 April 1926, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,225 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic. No precoveries were obtained prior to its discovery.
A rotational light-curve of this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations made by Junda Liu at the Lvye Observatory (P34), China, and at the iTelescope Observatory (Q62), at the Siding Spring Observatory site, Australia, in December 2015. The light-curve gave a well-defined rotation period of 7000275100000000000♠2.751±0.002 hours with a brightness variation of 0.19 in magnitude (U=3-). A previous light-curve with a concurring period of 7000275400000000000♠2.754±0.007 hours and a similar amplitude of 0.15 was already obtained by French amateur astronomer Pierre Antonini in March 2013 (U=2).
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 7.5 and 7.9 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.21 and 0.27, respectively, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – which derives from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of this orbital family – and calculates a diameter of 8.2 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 12.6.
The minor planet was named after the mythological creature Alascattalo, a fictional chimera between a moose and a walrus. According to legend, it was genetically bred by miners during the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 19th century. The alascattalo also stands for the local people's unique sense of humor, dealing with tourists who ask naive questions, and is the mascot of the four-minute long, annual parade on "Alascattalo Day" held in November. Naming citation was published on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19332).