| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Jackson |
| Discovery site | Johannesburg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 30 June 1935 |
| Designations | |
| (1784) Benguella | |
Named after | Benguela[2] (city in Angola) |
| 1935 MG · 1938 EX 1950 ON · 1950 QP 1951 YQ · 1953 FT 1957 JF · 1957 MH 1968 HY · 1969 UU1 | |
| main-belt[1][3] · (inner) background[4][5] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 83.31yr (30,430 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.7242AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0858 AU |
| 2.4050 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1327 |
| 3.73 yr (1,362 d) | |
| 174.06° | |
| 0° 15m 51.48s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.4727° |
| 95.271° | |
| 184.89° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 10.480±0.100 km[6] 11.80±0.41 km[7] 16.68±1.3 km[8] | |
| 0.0763±0.014[8] 0.156±0.012[7] 0.237±0.045[6] | |
| 12.2[1][3] 12.30[7][8] | |
1784 Benguella, provisional designation1935 MG, is a backgroundasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) in diameter. It was discovered by South African astronomerCyril Jackson at theJohannesburg Observatory on 30 June 1935.[1] It was named for the city ofBenguela in Angola.[2] The low-numbered asteroid has been studied poorly.[4]
According to modernHCM-analyses,Benguella is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[4][5] It orbits the Sun in theinner asteroid belt at a distance of 2.1–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,362 days;semi-major axis of 2.41 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.13 and aninclination of 1° with respect to theecliptic.[3] The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation atJohannesburg in June 1935.[1]
Thisminor planet was named after Angola's city and chief portBenguela (São Felipe de Benguela), formerly spelled Benguella.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 February 1980 (M.P.C. 5183).[9]
Benguella'sspectral type is unknown,[4] with no assumptions possible based on the asteroid's albedo(see below)
As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve ofBenguella has been obtained fromphotometric observations. The body'srotation period,pole and shape remain unknown.[4][10] According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Benguella measures between 10.48 and 16.68 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.076 and 0.24.[6][7][8]
