| 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 Americanriver) |
| 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 | 2.5262AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8249 AU |
| 2.1755 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1612 |
| 3.21yr (1,172 days) | |
| 344.02° | |
| 0° 18m 25.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 0.8987° |
| 254.43° | |
| 11.493° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 4 km(calculated at0.25)[3] 4.085±0.223 km[4] |
| 0.221±0.023[4] | |
| 14.1[1] | |
1779 Paraná, provisional designation1950 LZ, is anasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 15 June 1950, by Argentine astronomerMiguel Itzigsohn at theLa Plata Astronomical Observatory in La Plata, capital of the province of Buenos Aires.[5] It was named for theParaná River in South America.[2]
Paraná orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,172 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.16 and aninclination of 1° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
As noprecoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made,Paraná'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation in 1950.[5]Paraná has also been cataloged by thePalomar–Leiden survey and received thesurvey designation6116 P-L (PLS6116).[1][5]
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Paraná measures 4.09 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.221.[4] Based on amagnitude-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]
As of 2017,Paraná'sspectral type,rotation period and shape remain unknown.[1][6]
Thisminor planet was named for a large and 4,880-kilometers longParaná 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 see1029 La Plata).[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 8 April 1982 (M.P.C. 6832).[7]
