Discovered by M. Tichý
Z. Moravec MPC designation 15374 Teta Alternative names 1997 BG Discovered 16 January 1997 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Hungaria family | Discovery date 16 January 1997 Named after Teta (Czech mythology) Minor planet category main-belt · Hungaria Absolute magnitude 14.3 Discovery site Kleť Observatory | |
Discoverers Miloš Tichý, Zdeněk Moravec People also search for 2441 Hibbs, 5757 Tichá, Sun | ||
15374 Teta, provisional designation 1997 BG, is bright, stony Hungaria asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 3.3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Czech astronomers Miloš Tichý and Zdeněk Moravec at Kleť Observatory in South Bohemia on 16 January 1997.
The bright E-type asteroid is a member of the Hungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.7–2.3 AU once every 2 years and 10 months (1,028 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 32° with respect to the ecliptic.of 1.7–2.3 AU once every 2 years and 10 months (1,028 days). Its orbit is heavily tilted by 32° to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an eccentricity of 0.16. The first precovery was obtained during Digitized Sky Survey at Palomar Observatory in 1950, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 47 years prior to its discovery.
In 2014, a photometric light-curve observation with an improved period solution over a 2009-analysis at the U.S. Palmer Divide Observatory, Colorado, rendered a rotation period of 7000282000000000000♠2.820±0.005 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.30 in magnitude (U=3-). The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a high albedo of 0.30, a typical value for the bright E-class asteroid, such as the family's largest member and namesake, 434 Hungaria.
The minor planet was named from Czech mythology after Teta, the fortune-teller, heathen priestess, and member of the Přemyslid dynasty. She is the second daughter of Duke Krok and sister of Libuše, who, according to legend, founded the city of Prague (also see 2367 Praha) in the 8th century, and after whom the minor planets 264 Libussa and 3102 Krok were named, respectively. Naming citation was published on 11 November 2000 (M.P.C. 41573).