1931 Čapek

Orbit and classification

Čapek is a background asteroid, not associated to any known asteroid family. It orbits the Sun in the inner part of the central main-belt near the 3:1 resonance with Jupiter at a distance of 1.9–3.2 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,480 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.27 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.

The asteroid was first identified as at Goethe Link Observatory in October 1957. The body's observation arc begins at Crimea–Nauchnij, eleven days prior to its official discovery observation at Bergedorf.

Physical characteristics

Spectral type

In the Tholen classification, Čapek is a common carbonaceous C-type asteroid. This strongly disagrees with the albedo obtained by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which indicates that Čapek is a stony S-type asteroid rather than a carbonaceous one.

Rotation period

As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve of Čapek has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid's rotation period, shape and poles remain unknown.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Čapek measures 6.628 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.254.

Naming

This minor planet was named in memory of Karel Čapek (1890–1938), Czech dramatist and novelist, best known for his allegorical plays R.U.R. and Krakatit, in which he anticipated both, the destructive potential of nuclear physics and their moral implications. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 June 1991 (M.P.C. 18447).

References