131 Vala

131 Vala
	A 3D lightcurve model of 131 Vala
Discovery
Discovered by	Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
Discovery site	Litchfield Observatory
Discovery date	24 May 1873
Designations
Pronunciation	/ˈvɑːlə/
Named after	vǫlva
Alternative designations	A873 KA; 1945 KA;; 1952 DS3; 1953 QE
Minor planet category	Main belt
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	152.54 yr
Aphelion	2.60 AU (389.00 Gm)
Perihelion	2.26 AU (338.50 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.43 AU (363.75 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.069427
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.79 yr (1,384.89 d)
Average orbital speed	19.08 km/s
Mean anomaly	92.165°
Mean motion	0° 15m 35.784s / day
Inclination	4.9632°
Longitude of ascending node	65.556°
Argument of perihelion	161.388°
Earth MOID	1.26 AU (187.95 Gm)
Jupiter MOID	2.38 AU (355.52 Gm)
TJupiter	3.499
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	40.44±1.8 km
Mass	6.9×1016 kg
Equatorial surface gravity	0.0113 m/s²
Equatorial escape velocity	0.0214 km/s
Synodic rotation period	5.1812 h (0.21588 d)
Geometric albedo	0.1051±0.010
Temperature	~178 K
Spectral type	K (Bus)
Absolute magnitude (H)	10.03

131 Vala is an asteroid located in the main asteroid belt. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on 24 May 1873, and derives its name from völva (vǫlva, lit. 'staff bearer'), a prophetess in Norse paganism. One observation of an occultation of a star by Vala is from Italy (26 May 2002). 10-μm radiometric data collected from Kitt Peak in 1975 gave a diameter estimate of 34 km.

Discovery and naming

Vala was discovered on 24 May 1873 by German-American astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters at Litchfield Observatory in New York State, United States. Peters announced the asteroid's discovery on 3 June in the journal Astronomische Nachrichten. The asteroid was given the name Vala, after the prophetesses (Old Norse: vǫlva) from Norse paganism.^: 25^: 72ff

Orbit

Vala orbits the Sun at an average distance of 2.43 astronomical units (AU), taking 3.79 Earth years to complete one orbit. This places it in the main asteroid belt, where it is classified as a background asteroid since it does not have any known relationship to an asteroid family. Its orbit has an inclination of 4.96° with respect to the ecliptic and an eccentricity of 0.07. Its distance from the Sun ranges from 2.26 AU at perihelion to 2.60 AU at aphelion.

Physical characteristics

In the Tholen classification system, it is categorized as an SU-type asteroid, while the Bus asteroid taxonomy system lists it as a K-type asteroid. Photometric observations of this asteroid during 2007 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico were used to create a "nearly symmetric bimodal" light curve plot. This showed a rotation period of 10.359 ± 0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.09 ± 0.02 magnitude during each cycle. The result is double the 5.18-hour period reported in the JPL Small-Body Database.

References

1 2 "(131) Vala = 1873 KA = 1945 KA = 1952 DS3 = 1953 QE". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
1 2 Peters, C. H. F. (January 1873). "Schreiben des Directors der Sternwarte zu Clinton, an den Herausgeber". Astronomische Nachrichten (in German). 82 (3): 43–44. doi:10.1002/asna.18730820303. ISSN 0004-6337.
↑ "Vala". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 131 Vala (A873 KA)" (2025-12-15). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
1 2 DeMeo, Francesca E.; et al. (July 2009), "An extension of the Bus asteroid taxonomy into the near-infrared" (PDF), Icarus, vol. 202, no. 1, pp. 160–180, Bibcode:2009Icar..202..160D, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.02.005, archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2014, retrieved 8 April 2013. See appendix A.
1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D.; International Astronomical Union (2003). Dictionary of minor planet names. Berlin; New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 27. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
↑ Morrison, D.; Chapman, C. R. (March 1976), "Radiometric diameters for an additional 22 asteroids", Astrophysical Journal, vol. 204, pp. 934–939, Bibcode:2008mgm..conf.2594S, doi:10.1142/9789812834300_0469.
↑ Peters, C. H. F. (January 1873). "Observations of Antigone (129), Electra (130) und Vala (131), made at the Litchfield Observatory of Hamilton College". Astronomische Nachrichten. 82 (9): 129–134. doi:10.1002/asna.18730820902. ISSN 0004-6337.
↑ Price, Neil (2019). The Viking Way, Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia (2 ed.). Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia. ISBN 9781842172605.
↑ "(131) Vala – Proper Elements". Asteroids Dynamic Site. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
↑ Pilcher, Frederick (June 2008), "Period Determination for 84 Klio, 98 Ianthe, 102 Miriam 112 Iphigenia, 131 Vala, and 650 Amalasuntha", The Minor Planet Bulletin, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 71–72, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2008MPBu...35...71P, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009.

External links

131 Vala at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
131 Vala at the JPL Small-Body Database
- Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters

This article about an S-type asteroid native to the asteroid belt is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

[MPC-object-1] 1 2 "(131) Vala = 1873 KA = 1945 KA = 1952 DS3 = 1953 QE". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2026.

[Peters1873-2] 1 2 Peters, C. H. F. (January 1873). "Schreiben des Directors der Sternwarte zu Clinton, an den Herausgeber". Astronomische Nachrichten (in German). 82 (3): 43–44. doi:10.1002/asna.18730820303. ISSN 0004-6337.

[3] "Vala". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.

[jpldata-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 131 Vala (A873 KA)" (2025-12-15). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 May 2026.

[DeMeo2009-5] 1 2 DeMeo, Francesca E.; et al. (July 2009), "An extension of the Bus asteroid taxonomy into the near-infrared" (PDF), Icarus, vol. 202, no. 1, pp. 160–180, Bibcode:2009Icar..202..160D, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2009.02.005, archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2014, retrieved 8 April 2013. See appendix A.

[Schmadel-6] 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D.; International Astronomical Union (2003). Dictionary of minor planet names. Berlin; New York: Springer-Verlag. p. 27. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.

[Morrison1976-7] Morrison, D.; Chapman, C. R. (March 1976), "Radiometric diameters for an additional 22 asteroids", Astrophysical Journal, vol. 204, pp. 934–939, Bibcode:2008mgm..conf.2594S, doi:10.1142/9789812834300_0469.

[Peters1873b-8] Peters, C. H. F. (January 1873). "Observations of Antigone (129), Electra (130) und Vala (131), made at the Litchfield Observatory of Hamilton College". Astronomische Nachrichten. 82 (9): 129–134. doi:10.1002/asna.18730820902. ISSN 0004-6337.

[Price2019-9] Price, Neil (2019). The Viking Way, Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia (2 ed.). Oxbow Books, Oxford and Philadelphia. ISBN 9781842172605.

[AstDyS-10] "(131) Vala – Proper Elements". Asteroids Dynamic Site. Retrieved 18 May 2026.

[Pilcher2008-11] Pilcher, Frederick (June 2008), "Period Determination for 84 Klio, 98 Ianthe, 102 Miriam 112 Iphigenia, 131 Vala, and 650 Amalasuntha", The Minor Planet Bulletin, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 71–72, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2008MPBu...35...71P, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009.