1299 Mertona

1299 Mertona
Modelled shape of Mertona, from its lightcurve
Discovery
Discovered byG. Reiss
Discovery siteAlgiers Obs.
Discovery date18 January 1934
Designations
(1299) Mertona
Named after
Gerald Merton
(English astronomer)
1934 BA
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc82.85 yr (30,260 days)
Aphelion3.3325 AU
Perihelion2.2706 AU
2.8016 AU
Eccentricity0.1895
4.69 yr (1,713 days)
328.61°
0° 12m 36.72s / day
Inclination7.8754°
165.61°
260.44°
Physical characteristics
14.140±0.322 km
14.90±1.23 km
4.977±0.003 h
(73.0°, 35.0°) (λ11)
0.219±0.038
0.243±0.033
unknown
11.277±0.002 (R) · 11.4 · 11.5

    1299 Mertona (prov. designation: 1934 BA) is a bright background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 18 January 1934, by French astronomer Guy Reiss at Algiers Observatory, Algeria, in northern Africa. The likely stony asteroid with an unknown spectral type has a rotation period of 5.0 hours and measures approximately 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) in diameter. It was named after English astronomer Gerald Merton.