1801 Titicaca

Orbit and classification

Titicaca is a member of the Eos family (606), the largest asteroid family in the outer main belt consisting of nearly 10,000 asteroids. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.8–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,916 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic. As no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made, Titicacas observation arc begins with its official discovery observation.

Physical characteristics

Titicaca is an assumed S-type asteroid.

Rotation period

In March 2007, a rotational lightcurve of Titicaca was obtained from photometric observations taken by German amateur astronomer Axel Martin. It gave a well-defined rotation period of 3.2106 hours with a brightness variation of 0.50 in magnitude (). A 2006-published lightcurve, constructed from photometry data from the Lowell photometric database, gave a concurring period of 3.211233 hours.

Diameter and albedo

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, Titicaca measures between 19.31 and 24.77 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.11 and 0.18. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.109 and a diameter of 23.08 kilometers.

Naming

This minor planet was named after Lake Titicaca in the Andes, on the border of Peru and Bolivia at an altitude of 3,812 m above sea level, the largest lake by volume in South America and one of the largest and highest lakes in the world. Naming citation was published on 8 April 1982 (M.P.C. 6832).

References

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