| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Ernest Johnson |
| Discovery site | Johannesburg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 10 April 1950 |
| Designations | |
| (1760) Sandra | |
Named after | Sandra(discoverer's granddaughter)[2] |
| 1950 GB · 1934 NP 1935 QH · 1950 HF 1950 JM · 1951 OK 1967 JC · 1968 OC | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 81.66 yr (29,826 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5564AU |
| Perihelion | 2.7418 AU |
| 3.1491 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1293 |
| 5.59yr (2,041 days) | |
| 6.2435° | |
| 0° 10m 35.04s / day | |
| Inclination | 8.4403° |
| 232.61° | |
| 332.93° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 33.989±0.214 km[4] 34.765±0.454 km[5] 35.89±3.5 km[6] 36.03 km(derived)[3] 36.64±1.03 km[7] 37.71±0.64 km[8] |
| 6.5668±0.0004h[9] | |
| 0.034±0.002[7] 0.0345±0.008[6] 0.0385±0.0055[4] 0.054±0.011[8] 0.0542(derived)[3] | |
| C[3] | |
| 10.90[8] · 11.0[1][3] · 11.23±0.27[10] · 11.5[4][6][7] | |
1760 Sandra, provisional designation1950 GB, is a carbonaceousasteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 35 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 10 April 1950, by South African astronomerErnest Johnson atUnion Observatory in Johannesburg, and named after his granddaughter Sandra.[2][11]
Sandra is a carbonaceousC-type asteroid that orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,041 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.13 and aninclination of 8° with respect to theecliptic.[1] It was first identified as1934 NP at the discovering observatory. The body'sobservation arc begins with its identification as1935 QH atHeidelberg in 1935, or 15 years prior to its official discovery observation at Johannesburg.[11]
In April 2006, a rotationallightcurve ofSandra was obtained from photometric observations by French amateur astronomerPierre Antonini. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-definedrotation period of 6.5668 hours with a brightness variation of 0.42magnitude (U=3).[9]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite, and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Sandra measures between 33.989 and 37.71 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.034 and 0.054.[4][5][6][7][8] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0542 and a diameter of 36.03 kilometers with on anabsolute magnitude of 11.0.[3]
Thisminor planet was named by the South African discoverErnest Johnson after his granddaughter Sandra.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 20 February 1976 (M.P.C. 3934).[12]
