Discovered by H. L. Giclas MPC designation 2061 Anza Minor planet category Amor, NEO Discovered 22 October 1960 Discoverer Henry L. Giclas Discovery site Lowell Observatory | Discovery date 22 October 1960 Alternative names 1960 UA Observation arc 55.35 yr (20217 days) Orbits Sun Named after Juan Bautista de Anza Asteroid group Amor asteroid | |
Similar Sun, Solar System, 2058 Róka, 2062 Aten, 1980 Tezcatlipoca | ||
2061 Anza, provisionally designated 1960 UA, is an Amor asteroid, a subtype of near-Earth object (NEO), estimated to measure about 2.6 kilometers in diameter, based on an assumed dark albedo of 0.06. It was discovered on October 22, 1960 by American astronomer Henry Giclas at Lowell's Flagstaff Observatory in Arizona, United States. The very eccentric NEO orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.05–3.48 AU once every 3.41 years (1,245 days) and rotates every 11 hours and 30 minutes around its axis. Its spectral type is TCG on the Tholen scale.
The asteroid has an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.054 AU. It passed Earth at 0.0634 AU (9,480,000 km; 5,890,000 mi) on October 7, 1960 and was tracked for a period of 3.5 months to determine a better orbit. It was not observed again until its next near-Earth approach of 1977.
The Armor-type NEO is named after Captain Juan Bautista de Anza, born in 1736 southeast of Tucson, Arizona, then New Spain. He became the commander at the Spanish fortification Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac and explored the first overland route from southern Arizona to Monterey, California.