| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Korlević |
| Discovery site | Višnjan Obs. |
| Discovery date | 23 October 1998 |
| Designations | |
| (10415) Mali Lošinj | |
Named after | Mali Lošinj (Croatian island)[2] |
| 1998 UT15 · 1925 VM 1962 WE1 · 1977 TN3 1987 SW20 · 1988 VW7 | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] background | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 54.52 yr (19,915 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.0650AU |
| Perihelion | 2.9115 AU |
| 2.9883 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0257 |
| 5.17yr (1,887 days) | |
| 121.02° | |
| 0° 11m 26.88s / day | |
| Inclination | 14.427° |
| 221.70° | |
| 298.55° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 13.514±0.135[4] 14.912±0.112 km[5] 16.20±0.70 km[6] 18.77 km(calculated)[3] |
| 240.5115±20.6153h[7] | |
| 0.057(assumed)[3] 0.128±0.019[6][4] 0.1521±0.0344[5] | |
| C[3] · X[8] | |
| 11.54±0.44[8] · 11.8[5][6] · 11.9[1] · 11.911±0.002(R)[7] · 12.36[3] | |
10415 Mali Lošinj (provisional designation1998 UT15) is a dark backgroundasteroid and veryslow rotator from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Croatian astronomerKorado Korlević atVišnjan Observatory, Croatia, on 23 October 1998.[9] The asteroid was named after the Croatian town ofMali Lošinj.
Mali Lošinj orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.9–3.1 AU once every 5 years and 2 months (1,887 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.03 and aninclination of 14° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The first usedprecovery was obtained atGoethe Link Observatory in 1962, extending the asteroid'sobservation arc by 36 years prior to its discovery. The first unused observations were made atHeidelberg Observatory in 1925.[9]
Mali Lošinj has also been characterized as anX-type asteroid byPan-STARRS photometric survey.[3][8]
In September 2013,photometric observations at thePalomar Transient Factory in California gave a rotationallightcurve that showed aperiod of240.5115 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.48 inmagnitude (U=2).[7] Mali Lošinj is aslow rotator, as asteroids of this size usually rotate within hours once around its axis.
According to the surveys carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and its subsequentNEOWISE mission, Mali Lošinj measures between 13.5 and 16.2 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.13 and 0.15.[4][5][6] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo forcarbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a somewhat larger diameter of 18.8 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 12.36.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after the Croatian town ofMali Lošinj, located on the island ofLošinj, in the northernAdriatic Sea. The island and the town are well known for its nautical school and theLeo Brener Observatory.[2] The minor planet10645 Brač is also named after a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. The approved naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 15 December 2005 (M.P.C. 55720).[10]
