Discovered by M. Tichý MPC designation 7440 Závist Minor planet category main-belt · (middle) Absolute magnitude 13.3 Discoverer Miloš Tichý Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 1 March 1995 Alternative names 1995 EA · 1980 PL4 Discovered 1 March 1995 Orbits Sun Discovery site Kleť Observatory | |
Named after Oppidum Závist
(Celtic oppidum) People also search for 7441 Láska, Asteroid belt, Sun | ||
7440 Závist, provisional designation 1995 EA, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 1 March 1995, by Czech astronomer Miloš Tichý at Kleť Observatory in South Bohemia.
The S-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.2–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,520 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic. The first precovery was taken at Palomar Observatory in 1980, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 15 years prior to its discovery.
A rotational light-curve was obtained from photometric observations made at the U.S. Palomar Transient Factory in September 2010. It gave a rotation period of 7000743650000000000♠7.4365±0.0023 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.55 in magnitude (U=2).
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 5.05 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an exceptionally high albedo of 6999363000000000000♠0.363±0.094. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a nearly identical diameter of 5.07 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 13.84.
The minor planet was named for the Oppidum Závist (Oppidum Závist), a Celtic settlement south of Prague in Bohemia. The ancient ruins are located on a hill above Vltava river (also see the minor planets 2367 Praha and 2123 Vltava). The site consists of two parts named "Hradiště" and "Šance". The settlement existed between the 6th century BC and 1st century AD, and represents part of the most outstanding remnants of known Celtic history in the Czech Republic, especially its ramparts and moats, as well as its acropolis. Naming citation was published on 4 May 1999 (M.P.C. 34625).