Discovered by K. SárneczkyZ. Heiner MPC designation 37432 Piszkéstető Observation arc 20.64 yr (7,540 days) Absolute magnitude 15.6 | Discovery date 11 January 2002 Alternative names 2002 AE11 · 2000 SE362 Discovered 11 January 2002 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Named after Piszkéstető Station(discovering observatory) Similar Solar System, Asteroid belt, Sun | ||
37432 Piszkéstető, provisional designation 2002 AE11, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 11 January 2002, by the Hungarian astronomers Krisztián Sárneczky and Zsuzsanna Heiner at the Konkoly Observatory's Piszkéstető Station northeast of Budapest, Hungary.
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,342 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken by Spacewatch at KPNO in 1995, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 7 years prior to its discovery. As of 2016, the asteroids composition, shape and rotation period remain unknown.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 4.6 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a low albedo of 0.051, which is typical for C-type bodies. Based on its absolute magnitude of 15.6, and an assumed albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25, the asteroid's diameter is generically estimated to lie in between 2 and 5 kilometers, as the higher the reflectivity (albedo), the smaller the body's diameter at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).
The asteroid is named in honour of the discovering observatory, the Piszkéstető Station, located in the Mátra Mountains at 944 metres (3,097 ft) above sea level, about 80 kilometers northeast of Hungary's capital. The station belongs to the Konkoly Observatory in Budapest. Naming citation was published on 4 May 2004 (M.P.C. 51981).