7742 Altamira

7742 Altamira
Discovery [1]
Discovered by A. Mrkos
Discovery site Kleť Observatory
Discovery date 20 October 1985
Designations
MPC designation 7742 Altamira
Named after
 Cave of Altamira
(World Heritage Site)[2]
1985 US · 1996 BP2
main-belt · (outer) [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 29.68 yr (10,839 days)
Aphelion 2.9424 AU
Perihelion 2.4986 AU
2.7205 AU
Eccentricity 0.0816
4.49 yr (1,639 days)
281.0267°
0° 13m 10.92s / day
Inclination 4.1455°
124.9149°
293.5765°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 6.477±0.174 km[4]
8.74 km (calculated)[3]
2.700±0.010 h[5]
0.1838±0.0383[4]
0.057 (assumed)[3]
L [6] · C [3]
13.6[1]
13.570±0.090 (R)[5]
13.64±0.22[6]
13.4[4]
14.02[3]

    7742 Altamira, provisional designation 1985 US, is a potentially rare-type asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, about 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at the South Bohemian Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic, on 20 October 1985.[7]

    The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.5–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,639 days). Its orbit has a low eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It is one of the rare cases where the discovery observations are not part of the asteroid's observation arc, which starts in 1988, 3 years after it has already been discovered.[7]

    In January 2014, a rotational light-curve was obtained from photometric observation at the U.S Palomar Transient Factory, California. It gave a rotation period of 2.7±0.010 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.11 in magnitude (U=2).[5]

    According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 6.5 kilometers in diameter, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) calculates a larger diameter of 8.7 kilometers.[3][4] The body's spectral type is still ambiguous: It has a rare L-type spectrum based on observations by Pan-STARRS (PS1),[6] CALL classifies the body as a dark C-type and assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057,[3] while NEOWISE finds a much higher albedo of 0.18, which is rather typical for S-type asteroids.[4]

    The minor planet is named after the famous Cave of Altamira, located in northern Spain. Discovered in 1879, its prehistoric cave paintings feature drawings of wild bison, deer, horses and boar, as well as handprints of the artists who created them. The cave with its paintings has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The asteroid's name was proposed by Czech astronomer Miloš Tichý.[2] Naming citation was published on 24 June 2002 (M.P.C. 46008).[8]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 7742 Altamira (1985 US)" (2015-06-24 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (7742) Altamira. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 613. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "LCDB Data for (7742) Altamira". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407Freely accessible. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    5. 1 2 3 Chang, Chan-Kao; Ip, Wing-Huen; Lin, Hsing-Wen; Cheng, Yu-Chi; Ngeow, Chow-Choong; Yang, Ting-Chang; et al. (August 2015). "Asteroid Spin-rate Study Using the Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 219 (2): 19. arXiv:1506.08493Freely accessible. Bibcode:2015ApJS..219...27C. doi:10.1088/0067-0049/219/2/27. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    6. 1 2 3 Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762Freely accessible. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    7. 1 2 "7742 Altamira (1985 US)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    8. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 13 May 2016.

    External links

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