Discovered by A. Schaumasse MPC designation 971 Alsatia Discovered 23 November 1921 | Discovery date 23 November 1921 Minor planet category main-belt · Eunomia Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Alternative names 1921 LF · 1961 AAA908 UE People also search for 955 Alstede, 647 Adelgunde, 608 Adolfine | ||
971 Alsatia, provisional designation 1921 LF, is a large, carbonaceous asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, about 64 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by French astronomer Alexandre Schaumasse at Nice Observatory in southeastern France, on 23 November 1921.
The dark C-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.2–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,568 days). Although the asteroid is of carbonaceous rather than silicaceous composition, the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link classifies it as a member of the Eunomia family, a large group of otherwise S-type asteroids and the most prominent family in the intermediate main-belt. Its orbit is tilted by 14 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an eccentricity of 0.16. Several concurring photometric light-curve analysis rendered a well-defined rotation period of 9.6 hours. The body has an albedo between 0.04 and 0.05, according to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission.
The minor planet was named after the French province Alsace (regained from Germany after the First World War) in northeast France between the Rhine river and the Vosges mountains. In 1922, the discoverer proposed the name Alsace. However, the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, then responsible for the naming of minor planets, changed the name in Alsatia. The political status of Alsace has been heavily influenced by historical decisions, wars, and strategic politics.