Discovered by M. Tichý MPC designation 14974 Pocatky Alternative names 1997 SK1 · 1991 FF2 Discovered 22 September 1997 Orbits Sun Discovery site Kleť Observatory | Discovery date 22 September 1997 Named after Počátky (Czech town) Minor planet category main-belt · (middle) Absolute magnitude 14.2 Discoverer Miloš Tichý Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
14974 Pocatky, provisional designation 1997 SK1, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Czech astronomer Miloš Tichý at Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic on 22 September 1997.
The S-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.4–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,560 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at ESO's La Silla Observatory in 1991, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 6 years prior to its discovery.
Two rotational light-curves for this asteroid were obtained from photometric observations made at the U.S Palomar Transient Factory, California, in August 2010 and February 2012. The light-curves gave a rotation period of 7001217277000000000♠21.7277±0.0320 and 7001217079000000000♠21.7079±0.0320 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.57 and 0.68 in magnitude, respectively (U=2/2).
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 4.0 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.23, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes an untypically low albedo for stony asteroids of 0.10, and thus calculates a larger diameter of 4.9 kilometers.
The minor planet was named after the south Bohemian town of Počátky, Czech Republic. It is the birthplace of the discoverer Miloš Tichý. Naming citation was published on 11 November 2000 (M.P.C. 41572).