1478 Vihuri

1478 Vihuri, provisional designation, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 6 February 1938, by Finnish Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland. The asteroid was named after a Finnish philanthropist by the name of A. Vihuri.

Orbit and classification

Vihuri orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.2–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 10 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.0 The asteroid's observation arc begins 11 days prior to its official discovery observation. A precovery taken at Lowell Observatory in 1906, as well as identification made at Uccle in 1934, remained unused.

Physical characteristics

Rotation period

In December 1983, a rotational lightcurve was obtained form photometric observations by American astronomer Richard P. Binzel. Analysis of the provisional lightcurve gave a rotation period of 19.5 hours with a brightness variation of 0.23 magnitude. As of 2017, no additional lightcurves of Vihuri have been obtained.

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Vihuri measures 9.52 and 11.19 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.126 and 0.127, respectively. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony S-type asteroid of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 8.45 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.73.

Naming

This minor planet was named for Finnish philanthropist A. Vihuri, a ship owner and supporter of science and arts. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 July 1968.