| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | H. L. Giclas |
| Discovery site | Flagstaff (LO) |
| Discovery date | 22 October 1960 |
| Designations | |
| (2061) Anza | |
Named after | Juan Bautista de Anza (Governor ofNuevo México)[2] |
| 1960 UA | |
| Amor · NEO[1] Mars-crosser | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 56.56 yr (20,659 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.4824AU |
| Perihelion | 1.0527 AU |
| 2.2675 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.5358 |
| 3.41yr (1,247 days) | |
| 251.57° | |
| 0° 17m 19.32s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.7970° |
| 207.41° | |
| 156.95° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0570 AU · 22.2LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2.6 km[3] 2.71 km(calculated)[4] |
| 11.50h[5] | |
| 0.057(assumed)[4] | |
| Tholen = TCG:[1][3][4] B–V = 0.825[1] U–B = 0.350[1] | |
| 16.56[1][3][4] | |
2061 Anza, provisional designation1960 UA, is an eccentricasteroid of theAmor group, a subtype ofnear-Earth objects, estimated to measure approximately 2.7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 October 1960, by American astronomerHenry Giclas at Lowell'sFlagstaff Observatory in Arizona, United States.[6] The asteroid was later named after Spanish explorerJuan Bautista de Anza.[2]
Anza is anAmor asteroid – a subgroup of near-Earth asteroids that approach the orbit of Earth from beyond, but do not cross it. Orbiting the Sun at a distance of 1.1–3.5 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,247 days), its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.54 and aninclination of 4° with respect to theecliptic.[1] Due to its high eccentricity,Anza also classifies as aMars-crosser. The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation.[6]
The asteroid has an Earthminimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.0570 AU (8,530,000 km) which correspond to 22.2lunar distances. On 7 October 1960, it passed Earth at 0.0634 AU (9,480,000 km) and was tracked for a period of 3.5 months to determine a better orbit. It was not observed again until its next near-Earth approach of 1977.[6]
In theTholen classification,Anza has a rare TCG:spectral type.[1]
In the 1960s, a rotationallightcurve ofAnza was obtained from photometric observations taken at the discovering observatory by Austrian astronomer Karl Rakos from Graz University Observatory (580). Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 11.50 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.3magnitude (U=2).[5] No additional lightcurves have been obtained since.[4]
According toTom Gehrels publication in his bookHazards Due to Comets and Asteroids,Anza measures 2.6 kilometers in diameter,[1][3] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo forcarbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 2.71 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 16.56.[4]
Thisminor planet was named afterJuan Bautista de Anza (1736–1788), Spanish explorer and Governor ofSanta Fe de Nuevo México for theSpanish Empire in the 18th century, now the U.S state ofNew Mexico. He was born in Tucson, Arizona, thenNew Spain, and became the commander at the Spanish fortificationPresidio San Ignacio de Tubac before he explored the first overland route from southern Arizona to California (Monterey).[2]
The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 August 1978 (M.P.C. 4420).[7]
