Discovered by L. Carnera MPC designation 478 Tergeste Alternative names 1901 GU · 1948 RU1 Discovered 21 September 1901 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 21 September 1901 Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 7.98 | |
Discovery site Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory Similar 441 Bathilde, 417 Suevia, 484 Pittsburghia, 188 Menippe, 528 Rezia | ||
478 Tergeste, provisional designation 1901 GU, is a rare-type stony asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 78 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 21 September 1901, by Italian astronomer Luigi Carnera at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.
This stony asteroid belongs to the small group of 41 bodies classified as rare L-types in the SMASS taxonomy. Tergeste orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.8–3.3 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,915 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 13° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its first used observation 2 days after its official discovery date.
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Tergeste measures between 77.3 and 85.6 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.155 and 0.191. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the revised WISE results and takes an albedo of 0.1914, an absolute magnitude of 7.96 and a diameter of 77.1 kilometers.
In July 2005, a rotational light-curve of Tergeste was obtained by several photometrists including Laurent Bernasconi, Reiner Stoss, Petra Korlević and Raoul Behrend. The light-curve gave a rotation period of 7001161040000000000♠16.104±0.001 hours with a brightness variation of 0.23 in magnitude (U=2+), superseding a period of 7001150000000000000♠15±5 hours from the 1980s (U=n/a). In January 2013, another light-curve was obtained during a photometric survey by predominantly Polish and Japanese observatories. It gave a similar period of 7001161050000000000♠16.105±0.001 hours with an amplitude of 0.30 magnitude (U=n/a).
The minor planet is named for the northeastern Italian city of Trieste (also known by its pre-Roman name "Tergeste"). It is the birth place of the discoverer, who also worked there as director of the Trieste Observatory for many years.