Asteroids with Satellites Database--Johnston's Archive

(1045) Michela

compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston
last updated 8 May 2026

--Orbital and physical data--

(See this page for definitions of quantities; source codes in brackets, see this link for full references; *A, *D, and *E indicate assumed, derived, and estimated values, respectively.)

dynamical type, primary: main belt asteroid


orbital data, primary (osculating elements) [JPL] :
semimajor axis a: 2.35871466254 AU
orbital period P: 3.62260775443 yr
(= 1323.15748231 d)
eccentricity e: 0.15831379752
perihelion distance q: 1.9852975871 AU
aphelion distance Q: 2.73213173803 AU
inclination i: 0.263883538°
argument of perihelion ω: 167.5143059°
ascending node Ω: 267.1463024°
mean anomaly M: 301.68944459°
perihelion passage TP: 2026 Jun 23.3167992
Epoch: 2025 Nov 21
data arc: 1953-2026 (5820 obs.)
Earth MOID: 0.999849 AU
Jupiter Tisserand invariant TJ: 3.536


orbital data, secondary:
semimajor axis as: 25 km [M26b]
separation/primary radius as/rp:8.2 [*E]
separation/Hill radius as/rH:0.024 [*E]
orbital period Ps: 2.2 d [*E]
eccentricity es: ?
normalized ang. mom. αL: ?

other data, system (combined):
absolute mag. H: 13.03 [MPC]
slope parameter G: (0.15) [*A]
effective diameter dE: 6.1 ± 0.27 km [M19a]
geometric albedo: 0.328 ± 0.077 [M19a]
color index U-B: ?
color index B-V: ?
taxonomic type: S (SMASSII) [B02e]
mass m: ?
density ρ: (2 g/cm3) [*A]
Hill radius rH: 1000 km [*E]

other data, primary:
diameter dp: 6.1 ± 0.27 km [M19a]
dimensions :10.0 x 3.7 km [M26b]
axial ratios a/b, b/c:2.7, ? [*D]
rotation period RPp: 2.701 ± 0.0002 h [B19k]
amplitude in mag., rotational ΔM: 0.06 ± 0.02 [B19k]
pole direction Β, λ: ? , ?


other data, secondary:
diameter ds: >2.2 km [M26b]
diameter ratio ds/dp: 0.36 [*D]
component mag. difference ΔM: 2.21 [*D]
rotation period RPs: ?

-- (1045) Michela --discovery and notes:

Primary discovered 1924 Nov 19 from Yerkes Observatory, Williams Bay, Wisconsin, USA by G. Van Biesbroeck. Alternate designation(s): A924 WN, 1953 VB2, 1964 XJ, 1976 AL. Permanent number assigned 1925 Dec 02.

Named 1939 Mar 27 for Micheline van Biesbroeck [AN06425].

Companion discovered 2025 Oct 09 by C. McPartlin, D. Herald, D. Gault, and C. Weber using stellar occultation observations from Goleta, California, USA. Announced 2026 May 04 [M26b].

--Links, more technical:

--Links, less technical:

--Links to ADS abstracts:


© 2026 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 8 May 2026.
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