15374 Teta

15374 Teta, provisional designation 1997 BG, is bright, stony Hungaria asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 3.3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Czech astronomers Miloš Tichý and Zdeněk Moravec at Kleť Observatory in South Bohemia on 16 January 1997.^[3] It is named after Teta from Czech mythology.^[2]

15374 Teta

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	M. Tichý Z. Moravec
Discovery site	Kleť Obs.
Discovery date	16 January 1997
Designations
MPC designation	(15374) Teta
Named after	Teta (Czech mythology)[2]
Alternative designations	1997 BG
Minor planet category	main-belt · (inner)[1] Hungaria[3][4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	66.81 yr (24,402 days)
Aphelion	2.3153 AU
Perihelion	1.6709 AU
Semi-major axis	1.9931 AU
Eccentricity	0.1616
Orbital period (sidereal)	2.81 yr (1,028 days)
Mean anomaly	288.11°
Mean motion	0° 21m 1.08s / day
Inclination	32.400°
Longitude of ascending node	131.97°
Argument of perihelion	190.33°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	3.35 km (calculated)[4]
Synodic rotation period	2.820±0.005 h[5] 2.8204±0.0005 h[6]
Geometric albedo	0.30 (assumed)[4]
Spectral type	E/S[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.3[1] · 14.44±0.30[4][7]

Orbit and classification

Teta is a bright E-type asteroid and member of the Hungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.7–2.3 AU once every 2 years and 10 months (1,028 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 32° with respect to the ecliptic.^[1] A first precovery was obtained during Digitized Sky Survey at Palomar Observatory in 1950, extending the body's observation arc by 47 years prior to its discovery.^[3]

Physical characteristics

In 2014, an improved rotational lightcurve of Teta was obtained by American astronomer Brian Warner at his Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 2.820±0.005 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.30 magnitude (U=3-).^[6][5]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.30 – a compromise value between 0.4 and 0.2, corresponding to the Hungaria asteroids both as family and orbital group – and calculates a diameter of 3.35 kilometers using an absolute magnitude of 14.4.^[4]

Naming

This minor planet was named from Czech mythology after "Teta", the fortune-teller, heathen priestess, and member of the Přemyslid dynasty. She is the second daughter of Duke Krok and sister of Libuše, who, according to legend, founded the city of Prague (also see 2367 Praha) in the 8th century, and after whom the minor planets 264 Libussa and 3102 Krok were named, respectively.^[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 11 November 2000 (M.P.C. 41573).^[8]

References

1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 15374 Teta (1997 BG)" (2017-05-03 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(15374) Teta". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (15374) Teta. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 823. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_9128. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
3. "15374 Teta (1997 BG)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
4. "LCDB Data for (15374) Teta". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 27 April 2016.
5. Warner, Brian D. (July 2014). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at CS3-Palmer Divide Station: 2014 January-March". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 41 (3): 144–155. Bibcode:2014MPBu...41..144W. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
6. Warner, Brian D. (January 2010). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory: 2009 June-September". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 37 (1): 24–27. Bibcode:2010MPBu...37...24W. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
7. 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:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
8. "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 27 April 2016.

External links

• Lightcurve plot of 15374 Teta, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2009)
• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (15001)-(20000) – Minor Planet Center
• 15374 Teta at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 15374 Teta at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters