| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | University of Chile (National Astronomical Observatory of Chile) |
| Discovery site | Cerro El Roble Stn. |
| Discovery date | 22 October 1971 |
| Designations | |
| (2013) Tucapel | |
Named after | Battle of Tucapel[2] |
| 1971 UH4 · 1936 PL 1940 XC · 1942 EP1 1950 TP2 · 1969 AT 1974 MM · 1974 NA 1974 OJ | |
| main-belt · Flora[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 76.32 yr (27,876 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.8074AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7714 AU |
| 2.2894 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2263 |
| 3.46yr (1,265 days) | |
| 130.64° | |
| 0° 17m 4.2s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.5036° |
| 96.545° | |
| 238.12° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 10.61±0.72 km[4] 11.187±0.380 km[5] 11.84 km(calculated)[3] 12.16±0.75 km[6] 12.685±0.065 km[7] |
| 9.028±0.008h[8] | |
| 0.1003±0.0179[7] 0.110±0.014[6] 0.24(assumed)[3] 0.328±0.044[4][5] | |
| S[3] | |
| 11.70[4] · 11.8[1][3] · 12.27±0.61[9] · 12.6[6][7] | |
2013 Tucapel, provisional designation1971 UH4, is an eccentric Florianasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 October 1971, by the University of Chile'sNational Astronomical Observatory atCerro El Roble Astronomical Station.[10] It was named for one of the indigenous Mapuche chiefs.
Tucapel is a member of theFlora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,265 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.23 and aninclination of 8° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
It was first observed as1936 PL atJohannesburg Observatory in 1936. Its first used observation was taken atTurku Observatory in 1942, when it was identified as1942 EP1, thereby extending the body'sobservation arc by 29 years prior to its official discovery observation at Cerro El Roble.[10]
Tucapel has been characterized as a commonS-type asteroid.[3]
In October 2009, a rotationallightcurve ofTucapel was obtained from photometric observations at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory (E09) in Australia. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-definedrotation period of 9.028 hours with a brightness variation of 0.34magnitude (U=3).[8]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Tucapel measures between 10.61 and 12.685 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.1003 and 0.328.[4][5][6][7] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 — derived from8 Flora, the family's largest member and namesake – and calculates a diameter of 11.84 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 11.8.[3]
Thisminor planet was named for one of the brave chiefs of theMapuche, indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, who, with his wife Gualeva, victoriously entered the city of Imperial. He died in 1560, fighting against the colonial Spaniards(also seeArauco War,Battle of Tucapel andLautaro).[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 June 1980 (M.P.C. 5359).[11]
