| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. Mrkos |
| Discovery site | Kleť Obs. |
| Discovery date | 20 October 1985 |
| Designations | |
| (7742) Altamira | |
Named after | Cave of Altamira (World Heritage Site)[2] |
| 1985 US · 1996 BP2 | |
| main-belt · (middle) Henan[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 31.07 yr (11,349 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9419AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4989 AU |
| 2.7204 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0814 |
| 4.49yr (1,639 days) | |
| 8.9755° | |
| 0° 13m 10.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.1454° |
| 124.91° | |
| 293.48° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.477±0.174 km[4][5] 8.74 km(calculated)[6] |
| 2.700±0.010h[7] | |
| 0.057(assumed)[6] 0.184±0.038[4][5] | |
| L[8] · C(assumed)[6] | |
| 13.6[1] · 13.570±0.090(R)[7] · 13.64±0.22[8] · 13.4[4] · 14.02[6] | |
7742 Altamira, provisional designation1985 US, is a Henanasteroid from the central region of theasteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Czech astronomerAntonín Mrkos at the South BohemianKleť Observatory in the Czech Republic, on 20 October 1985.[9] It was named for theCave of Altamira in Spain.[2]
Altamira is a member of theHenan family (532),[3] a largeasteroid family in the intermediate main-belt, named after2085 Henan.[10]: 23 It orbits the Sun in thecentral asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,639 days;semi-major axis of 2.72 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.08 and aninclination of 4° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins atPalomar Observatory in May 1988, two and a half years after its official discovery observation at Klet.[9]
Altamira has been characterized as anL-type asteroid byPan-STARRS photometric survey,[8] which agrees with the overallspectral type for members of theHenan family.[10]: 23
In January 2014, a rotationallightcurve ofAltamira was obtained from photometric observation by astronomers at thePalomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a shortrotation period of2.7 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.11magnitude (U=2).[7]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Altamira measures 6.5 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo of 0.184.[4][5] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and consequently calculates a larger diameter of 8.7 kilometers.[6]
Thisminor planet was named after the famousCave of Altamira, located in northern Spain. Discovered in 1879, its prehistoriccave paintings feature drawings of wild bison, deer, horses and boar, as well as handprints of the artists who created them. The cave with its paintings has been declared a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site. The asteroid's name was proposed by Czech astronomerMiloš Tichý.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 24 June 2002 (M.P.C. 46008).[11]
