| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. Delporte |
| Discovery site | Uccle Obs. |
| Discovery date | 13 September 1926 |
| Designations | |
| (1068) Nofretete | |
| Pronunciation | /nɒfrəˈtiːtə/[a] |
Named after | Nefertiti[2] (Ancient Egyptian Queen) |
| 1926 RK · 1929 CV | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] background[4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 88.73 yr (32,409 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1868AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6274 AU |
| 2.9071 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0962 |
| 4.96yr (1,810 days) | |
| 250.26° | |
| 0° 11m 55.68s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.4840° |
| 318.69° | |
| 267.47° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 21.346±0.106 km[5] 22.03 km(derived)[3] 23.186±0.116 km[6] 23.92±0.74 km[7] 26.73±0.45 km[8] |
| 6.15h[9] | |
| 0.104±0.007[7] 0.142±0.025[8] 0.1832±0.0400[6] 0.20(assumed)[3] | |
| S[3][9] B–V = 0.850[1] U–B = 0.420[1] | |
| 10.60[8] · 10.65[3][6][9] · 10.7[1] · 10.84±0.47[10] · 11.20[7] | |
1068 Nofretete (/nɒfrəˈtiːtə/[a]), provisional designation1926 RK, is a stonyasteroid from thebackground population in the outerasteroid belt, approximately 23 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 13 September 1926, by Belgian astronomerEugène Delporte at theRoyal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle.[11] The asteroid was named after the Ancient Egyptian QueenNefertiti by its German name "Nofretete".[2] The near-Earth asteroid3199 Nefertiti is also named after her.
Nofretete is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[4] It orbits the Sun in theouter asteroid belt at a distance of 2.6–3.2 AU once every 4 years and 12 months (1,810 days;semi-major axis of 2.91 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.10 and aninclination of 5° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins at Uccle in September 1926, three nights after its official discovery observation.[11]
Nofretete has been characterized as a stonyS-type asteroid by American astronomerRichard Binzel.[9]
In May 1984, a rotationallightcurve ofNofretete was obtained from photometric observations by Richard Binzel which gave arotation period of 6.15 hours with a low brightness amplitude of 0.04magnitude, indicative for a nearly spheroidal shape (U=2).[9]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Nofretete measures between 21.346 and 26.73 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.104 and 0.1832.[5][6][7][8]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and derives a diameter of 22.03 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 10.65.[3]
Thisminor planet was named by German astronomerGustav Stracke after the Ancient Egyptian QueenNefertiti (c.1370 – c.1330 BC) by its common German name "Nofretete".[a] She was the wife of pharaohAkhenaten (a.k.a. Echnaton or Amenhotep IV), after whom the asteroid4847 Amenhotep is named. The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 101). The near-Earth asteroid3199 Nefertiti, discovered by American astronomersCarolyn andEugene Shoemaker at Palomar, was also named after her.[2]
