Discovered by M. Itzigsohn MPC designation 1684 Iguassú Discovered 23 August 1951 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 23 August 1951 Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 10.8 Discoverer Miguel Itzigsohn | |
Named after Iguazu Falls South America Alternative names 1951 QE · 1934 LN
1935 SK1 · 1939 HK
1949 DE · 1950 JT
1965 AA1 · A922 DA Discovery site La Plata Astronomical Observatory People also search for 1686 De Sitter, Sun, 1685 Toro | ||
1684 Iguassú, provisional designation 1951 QE, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 30.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 23 August 1951, by Argentine astronomer Miguel Itzigsohn at the La Plata Astronomical Observatory, located in the city of La Plata, Argentina.
The C-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 5 months (1,991 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.
In January 2014, two rotational light-curves of Iguassú were obtained at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. They gave a rotation period of 9.14 and 9.23 hours, respectively, both with a brightness change of 6999150000000000000♠0.15 in magnitude (U=2/2).
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Iguassú measures between 30.21 and 31.38 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.08 and 0.093. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 30.62 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.3.
This minor planet is named for the large Iguazu Falls, a 60 meters high and 1 kilometer wide waterfall, which river of the same name marks part of the boundary between Argentina and Brazil. As a curiosity, the spelling of the minor planet's name (Iguassú) neither concurs with the Spanish "Iguazú" nor with the Portuguese "Iguaçu". It is rather similar to "Yguasu", used in the native Guarani language, from which the waterfall's name originates. Naming citation was published on 8 April 1982 (M.P.C. 6832).