1045 Michela, provisional designation , is an stony, binary, Massalian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 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 (1,323 days; semi-major axis of 2.36 AU). 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 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.
Satellite On 9 October 2025, a team of astronomers including D. Gault, D. Herald, C. McPartlin, and C. Weber, discovered a natural satellite orbiting Michela from occultation observations from Goleta, California. The orbital period of this moon is estimated to be 2.2 days, with a diameter of less than 2.2 kilometers. As of 2026, the moon of Michela remains unnamed and undesignated.
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 ().
References
External links Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info ) Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center