1086 Nata

Orbit and classification

Nata is a member of the Veritas family, a young family of carbonaceous asteroids, that formed approximately million years ago. The family is named after 490 Veritas and consists of nearly 1,300 members.

Nata orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 3.0–3.3 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,054 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.05 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.

The body's observation arc begins with its first identification as at Heidelberg Observatory in December 1900, almost 27 years prior to its official discovery observation at Simeiz.

Physical characteristics

In the SMASS classification, Nata is a Ch-subtype, a "hydrated" carbonaceous C-type asteroid.

Rotation period

In November 2011, a rotational lightcurve of Nata was obtained from photometric observations by American astronomer Edwin E. Sheridan at the Crescent Butte Observatory . Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 18.074 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.17 magnitude ().

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Spitzer Space Telescope, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Nata measures between 66.27 and 79.867 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.04 and 0.0767.

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0641 and a diameter of 66.10 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 9.5.

Naming

This minor planet was named in memory of Nadezhda Vasilievna Babushkina (1915–1936), nicknamed "Nata", a Soviet female parachutist who died in an accident at the age of 21. The minor planets and , were named after paratroopers Tamara Ivanova (1912–1936) and Lyuba Berlin (1915–1936), respectively, which died just three months earlier.

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