1045 Michela

1045 Michela, provisional designation, is an stony Massalian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 19 November 1924, by Belgian–American astronomer George Van Biesbroeck at the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States. The S-type asteroid was named after the discoverer's daughter, Micheline van Biesbroeck.

Orbit and classification

Michela is a member of the Massalia family, a very large inner belt asteroid family consisting of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 7 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 0° with respect to the ecliptic.
The asteroid's observation arc begins with its observation as at the Goethe Link Observatory in November 1953, or 29 years after to its official discovery observation.

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS classification, Michela is a common, stony S-type asteroid, which is also the overall spectral type for Massalian asteroids.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Michela measures 6.104 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.328.

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Michela has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.

Naming

This minor planet was named after Micheline van Biesbroeck, daughter of the discoverer George Van Biesbroeck. The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955.