MPC designation (148780) Altjira Minor planet category Cubewano (DES) Aphelion 46.877 AU (7.0127 Tm) Discovered 20 October 2001 Argument of perihelion 297.71° | Alternative names 2001 UQ18 Observation arc 2539 days (6.95 yr) Orbital period 297 years Inclination 5.2056° Discoverer Marc William Buie | |
Discovery date 20 October 2001March, 2007 (secondary) Similar 38083 Rhadamanthus, 65489 Ceto, 58534 Logos, (84922) 2003 VS2 | ||
148780 Altjira /ælˈtʃɪrə/ is a binary classical Kuiper belt object (cubewano). The secondary, S/2007 (148780) 1, is large compared to the primary, 140 kilometres (87 mi) vs. 160 kilometres (99 mi). The Altjiran lightcurve is quite flat (Δmag<0.10), which is indicative of a "quasi-spherical body with a homogeneous surface".
The satellite's orbit has the following parameters: semi-major-axis, 9904 ± 56 km; period, 139.561 ± 0.047 days; eccentricity, 0.3445 ± 0.0045; and inclination, 35.19 ± 0.19°(retrograde). The total system mass is about 4 × 1018 kg.
It was named after the Arrernte creation deity, Altjira, who created the Earth during the Dreamtime and then retired to the sky.
References
148780 Altjira Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA