| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | V. Albitzkij |
| Discovery site | Simeiz Obs. |
| Discovery date | 3 March 1924 |
| Designations | |
| (1071) Brita | |
Named after | Great Britain[2] (part ofBritish Isles) |
| 1924 RE · 1927 YB 1947 BE · 1948 HB 1948 JG · 1952 FJ A910 EB · A917 SP | |
| main-belt · (middle) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 107.06 yr (39,102 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1065AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4954 AU |
| 2.8009 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1091 |
| 4.69yr (1,712 days) | |
| 60.276° | |
| 0° 12m 37.08s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.3715° |
| 52.571° | |
| 27.137° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 39.45±8.81 km[4] 40.266±12.91 km[5] 50.14 km(derived)[6] 50.29±1.4 km[7] 60.862±0.536 km[8] 62.53±0.65 km[9] 64.23±19.39 km[10] |
| 5.8h(poor)[11] 5.805±0.002 h[12] 5.8158±0.0003 h[12] 5.8169±0.0003 h[13] | |
| 0.03±0.02[10] 0.036±0.005[8] 0.042±0.001[9] 0.0486(derived)[6] 0.0524±0.0488[5] 0.0637±0.004[7] 0.07±0.03[4] | |
| SMASS = Xk[1] · X[6] | |
| 10.10[7][9] · 10.30[4][8] · 10.40[1][5][6] · 10.54±0.25[14] · 10.56[10] | |
1071 Brita, provisional designation1924 RE, is a darkasteroid from thebackground population of the intermediateasteroid belt, approximately 50 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 March 1924, by Soviet astronomerVladimir Albitsky at theSimeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula.[15] The asteroid was named after the island ofGreat Britain.[2]
Brita is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun on the outer rim of thecentral asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,712 days;semi-major axis of 2.80 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.11 and aninclination of 5° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The asteroid was first identified asA910 EB atHeidelberg Observatory in March 1910. The body'sobservation arc begins atLowell Observatory in October 1931, more than 7 years after its official discovery observation Simeiz.[15]
In theSMASS classification,Brita is an Xk-subtype that transitions from theX-type to the rareK-type asteroids.[1]
In 2001, a first, fragmentarylightcurve ofBrita was published by a group of Brazilian and Argentine astronomers. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 5.8 hours with a brightness variation of 0.38magnitude (U=1).[11] Between 2008 and 2016, photometric observations gave three well-defined periods of 5.805, 5.8158 and 5.8169 hours and an amplitude of 0.19, 0.23 and 0.20 magnitude, respectively (U=3/3/3).[12][13]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Brita measures between 39.45 and 64.23 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.03 and 0.07.[4][5][7][8][9][10]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0486 and a diameter of 50.14 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 10.4.[6]
Thisminor planet was named after the island ofGreat Britain, where the discovering observatory's 1-meter telescope was built. The author of theDictionary of Minor Planet Names,Lutz Schmadel, learned about the naming circumstances from Crimean astronomers N. Solovaya andN. S. Chernykh(see2325 Chernykh).[2]
