1779 Paraná
Main-belt asteroid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1779 Paraná, provisional designation 1950 LZ, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter.
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. Itzigsohn |
| Discovery site | La Plata Obs. |
| Discovery date | 15 June 1950 |
| Designations | |
| (1779) Paraná | |
Named after | Paraná River[2] (South American river) |
| 1950 LZ · 1976 SF8 6116 P-L | |
| main-belt · (inner) | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 66.86 yr (24,422 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5262 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8249 AU |
| 2.1755 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1612 |
| 3.21 yr (1,172 days) | |
| 344.02° | |
| 0° 18m 25.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 0.8987° |
| 254.43° | |
| 11.493° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 4 km (calculated at 0.25)[3] 4.085±0.223 km[4] |
| 0.221±0.023[4] | |
| 14.1[1] | |
The asteroid was discovered on 15 June 1950, by Argentine astronomer Miguel Itzigsohn at the La Plata Astronomical Observatory in La Plata, capital of the province of Buenos Aires.[5] It was named for the Paraná River in South America.[2]
Orbit and classification
Paraná orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8â2.5 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,172 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
As no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made, Paraná's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation in 1950.[5] Paraná has also been cataloged by the PalomarâLeiden survey and received the survey designation 6116 P-L (PLS6116).[1][5]
Physical characteristics
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Paraná measures 4.09 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.221.[4] Based on a magnitude-to-diameter conversion, using an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25 and a magnitude of 14.1, the asteroid's generic diameter is between 4 and 9 kilometers.[3]
Rotation period
As of 2017, Paraná's spectral type, rotation period and shape remain unknown.[1][6]
Naming
This minor planet was named for a large and 4,880-kilometers long Paraná River that runs through northern Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. It is a major tributary to the La Plata river, where the city of La Plata and the discovering observatory are located (also see 1029 La Plata).[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 8 April 1982 (M.P.C. 6832).[7]
