| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. Laugier |
| Discovery site | Nice Obs. |
| Discovery date | 1 April 1937 |
| Designations | |
| (1426) Riviera | |
Named after | French Riviera[2] (Mediterranean coast) |
| 1937 GF · 1930 UD1 1933 HJ · 1938 SN 1949 HP · 2004 ST12 A920 CA | |
| main-belt · (middle) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 80.50 yr (29,403 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9943AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1690 AU |
| 2.5816 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1598 |
| 4.15yr (1,515 days) | |
| 111.74° | |
| 0° 14m 15.36s / day | |
| Inclination | 9.0632° |
| 335.04° | |
| 275.05° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 14.29±0.80 km[4] 15.35 km(derived)[5] 15.44±0.7 km[6] 17.41±0.47 km[7] 17.613±0.110 km[8] 18.033±0.094 km[9] |
| 4.38±0.06 h[10] 4.4±0.1 h[10] 4.40 h[11] 4.4044±0.0002h[10] | |
| 0.2671±0.0290[9] 0.281±0.017[7] 0.3274(derived)[5] 0.3546±0.037[6] 0.414±0.048[4] | |
| S(assumed)[5] | |
| 10.80[4][6][7][9] · 10.9[1][5] | |
1426 Riviera, provisional designation1937 GF, is a brightasteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter. Discovered byMarguerite Laugier at theNice Observatory in 1937, the asteroid was later named for the Côte d'Azur, also known asFrench Riviera.
Riviera was discovered on 1 April 1937, by French astronomerMarguerite Laugier at theNice Observatory in southeastern France.[12] Two nights later, the asteroid was independently discovered by South African astronomerCyril Jackson at theUnion Observatory in Johannesburg on 3 April 1937. TheMinor Planet Center only recognizes the first discoverer.[12] The asteroid was first identified asA920 CA at the GermanBergedorf Observatory in February 1920.[12]
Riviera is a non-family asteroid of the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun in thecentral asteroid belt at a distance of 2.2–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,515 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.16 and aninclination of 9° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins atJohannesburg Observatory in 1937, two weeks after its official discovery observation at Nice.[12]
Riviera is an assumed stonyS-type asteroid.[5]
In March 2003, a rotationallightcurve ofRiviera was obtained from photometric observations by French amateur astronomersLaurent Bernasconi and Nathanaël Berger. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-definedrotation period of 4.4044 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.30magnitude (U=3).[10] Other lightcurves with a concurring period between 4.38 and 4.40 hours were obtained byRené Roy, Horacio Correia and by a group of astronomers at thePico dos Dias Observatory in Brazil (U=2/2/3-).[10][11]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Riviera measures between 14.29 and 18.033 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.2671 and 0.414.[4][6][7][8][9]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.3274 and a diameter of 15.35 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 10.9.[5]
Thisminor planet was named after theFrench Riviera (Côte d'Azur), the Mediterranean coast in southeastern France, noted for its mild weather and where the discoveringNice Observatory is located. The asteroid's name was suggested byFrederick Pilcher, after whom1990 Pilcher was named. The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 8 April 1982 (M.P.C. 6831).[2][13]
