13058 Alfredstevens, provisional designation 1990 WN3, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Northern Chile, on 19 November 1990.[8] The asteroid was named for Belgian painter Alfred Stevens.[2]
Orbit and classification
Based on its orbital elements, Alfredstevens is a member of the Vesta family, a group of asteroids that originated from a massive impact on the Southern Hemnisphere of 4 Vesta, the family's namesake. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.1–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,324 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
In January 2013, a rotational lightcurve of Alfredstevens was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 4.2993 hours with a brightness variation of 0.45 magnitude (U=2).[6]
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Alfredstevens measures 2.6 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo of 0.34,[4][5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a larger diameter of 3.1 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.93.[3]
Naming
This minor planet was named in honor of Belgian painter Alfred Stevens (1823–1906), known for his paintings of elegant modern women.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 30 January 2010 (M.P.C. 68446).[9]
