| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | W. Liller |
| Discovery site | Cerro Tololo |
| Discovery date | 8 April 1978 |
| Designations | |
| (2449) Kenos | |
Named after | Kenos(Selknam mythology)[2] |
| 1978 GC | |
| Mars-crosser[1] · Hungaria[3] · binary | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 38.93 yr (14,220 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.2303AU |
| Perihelion | 1.5872 AU |
| 1.9088 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1685 |
| 2.64yr (963 days) | |
| 258.57° | |
| 0° 22m 25.32s / day | |
| Inclination | 24.986° |
| 179.86° | |
| 102.25° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2.95 km(calculated)[4] |
| 3.846±0.001 h[5] 3.8481±0.0003 h[6] 3.8492±0.0008 h[7] 4.188±0.007h[8] | |
| 0.4(assumed)[4] | |
| Tholen =E[1] · CX[9] · E[4] B–V = 0.684[1] U–B = 0.356[1] | |
| 14.07±0.09[8] · 14.26[1][4] · 14.46±0.48[9] | |
2449 Kenos, provisional designation1978 GC, is a bright Hungariaasteroid and medium-sizedMars-crosser from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomerWilliam Liller atCerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, on 8 April 1978, and named afterKenos from Selknam mythology.[2][3] Aminor-planet moon was discovered around the asteroid on 27 February 2015.[10]
Kenos is a member of theHungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. IT orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.6–2.2 AU once every 2 years and 8 months (963 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.17 and aninclination of 25° with respect to theecliptic.[1] Based on assumption made by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link, the body has a highalbedo of 0.4, which is typical for E-type asteroids with a magnesium silicate surface(also seeEnstatite chondrite).
In theTholen taxonomy,Kenos is anE-type asteroid.[1]PanSTARRS has characterized it as a CX-type, which transitions between theC-type andX-type asteroids.[9]
Observations performed at the Palmer Divide Observatory (716) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, during 2007 produced alightcurve with a period of3.8492 hours and a brightness range of0.20 inmagnitude.[7] Two more recent observations confirmed the 3.85-hour period.[5][6]
Thisminor planet was named afterKenos, the first man in theSelknam mythology of the Native Americans ofTierra del Fuego, sent by the Supreme Being to bring order into the world. He created the human race by using peat to make male and female organs, taught them language and instructed them in rules to fashion a harmonious society.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 6 February 1993 (M.P.C. 21606).[11]
