1779 Paraná

1779 Paraná, provisional designation 1950 LZ, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter.

1779 Paraná

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	M. Itzigsohn
Discovery site	La Plata Obs.
Discovery date	15 June 1950
Designations
MPC designation	(1779) Paraná
Named after	Paraná River[2] (South American river)
Alternative designations	1950 LZ · 1976 SF8 6116 P-L
Minor planet category	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
Semi-major axis	2.1755 AU
Eccentricity	0.1612
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.21 yr (1,172 days)
Mean anomaly	344.02°
Mean motion	0° 18m 25.92s / day
Inclination	0.8987°
Longitude of ascending node	254.43°
Argument of perihelion	11.493°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	4 km (calculated at 0.25)[3] 4.085±0.223 km[4]
Geometric albedo	0.221±0.023[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	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 1.8–2.5 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 Palomar–Leiden 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]