Discovered by K. Reinmuth MPC designation 1284 Latvia Discovered 27 July 1933 Discoverer Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 27 July 1933 Minor planet category main-belt · (middle) Orbits Sun Asteroid family Adeona family | |
Named after Latvia (Republic of Latvia) Alternative names 1933 OP · 1925 WK
1931 DW · 1933 QP
1950 RL Discovery site Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl Similar Sun, 426 Hippo, Asteroid belt, Solar System, 15 Eunomia | ||
Asteroid 1284 latvia
1284 Latvia, provisional designation 1933 OP, is a rare-type asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 37 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 July 1933, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.
Latvia is classified as a rare T and L type asteroid in the Tholen and SMASS taxonomy scheme, respectively, both indicating a featureless spectra of a dark and reddish body. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.2–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,572 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic. Latvia was first identified as 1925 WK at Moscow Observatory (105) in 1925, and then as 1931 DW at Lowell Observatory in 1931. The body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Heidelberg in 1933.
The so-far best rated rotational light curve of Latvia was obtained by the "Spanish Photometric Asteroid Analysis Group" (OBAS) in September 2015. Light curve analysis gave it a rotation period of 9.55 hours with a brightness variation of 0.23 magnitude (U=3-). Previous photometric observations by James Brinsfield at Via Capote Observatory (G69) and French amateur astronomer Laurent Bernasconi gave a period of 9.552 and 9.644 hours with an amplitude of 0.10 and 0.21 magnitude, respectively (U=2/2). The first rotational light curve obtained by Richard P. Binzel in the 1980s gave a twice a long period solution of 18 hours (U=1).
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Latvia measures between 33.27 and 41.47 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.083 and 0.13 (without preliminary results). The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results by IRAS, that is a albedo of 0.1045 and a diameter of 36.81 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 10.24.
This minor planet is named after the Republic of Latvia. Naming citation was first mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 118).