2577 Litva

History

Litva was discovered on 12 March 1975 by Soviet–Ukrainian astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. It was named for the former Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, which is now the nation of Lithuania.

Litva was named after the Russian name for the Baltic state Lithuania, former member of the Soviet Union and now an independent Republic. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 December 1982 (M.P.C. 7472).

Orbit and classification

Litva is a member of the Hungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.6–2.2 AU once every 2 years and 8 months (960 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 23° with respect to the ecliptic.

Physical characteristics

In the Tholen taxonomy, Litva is classified as an EU-type, a subtype of the bright E-type asteroids. It has also been characterized as a Sl-type and Q-type asteroid by astronomers using the New Technology Telescope at La Silla and by PanSTARRS photometric survey, respectively.

Rotation period

The body has a rotation period between 2.81288 and 2.82 hours, superseding the original measurement that gave 5.618 hours. Most recent photometric observation from 2014, gave a refined period of hours, using a statistical Bayesian inference methodology.

Satellite system

In March 2009 the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams announced the discovery of a moon orbiting the asteroid. The satellite measures about 1.4 kilometers in diameter and orbits Litva at distance of 21 kilometers, with an orbital period of 1 day, 11 hours, and 53 minutes. In 2012, a second satellite orbiting at a distance of 378 kilometers, with a diameter of 1.2 kilometers, was discovered, with an orbital period of 214 days. The discovery was announced in late 2013. This made Litva the 11th asteroid discovered to be in a triple system.

Notes

— Reported by W. J. Merline, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI); P. M. Tamblyn, Binary Astronomy, LLC, Dillon, CO, U.S.A., and SwRI; B. D. Warner, Center for Solar System Studies, Landers, CA, USA; P. Pravec, Ondrejov Observatory; J. P. Tamblyn, Binary Astronomy, LLC, Dillon, CO, U.S.A.; C. Neyman, W. M. Keck Observatory; A. R. Conrad, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy; W. M. Owen, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; B. Carry, Institut de Mecanique Celeste et de Calcul des Ephemerides, Paris Observatory; J. D. Drummond, Starfire Optical Range, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.; C. R. Chapman and B. L. Enke, SwRI; W. M. Grundy, Lowell Observatory; C. Veillet, Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBTO); S. B. Porter, Lowell Observatory; C. Arcidiacono, Astronomical Observatory of Bologna, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; J. C. Christou, LBTO; D. D. Durda, SwRI; A. W. Harris, "More Data!", La Canada, CA, USA; H. A. Weaver, Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University; C. Dumas, European Southern Observatory, Chile; D. Terrell, Sonoita Research Observatory and SwRI; and P. Maley, Houston, TX, USA

— Reported by B. D. Warner, Palmer Divide Observatory and Space Science Institute, Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A.; P. Pravec, Ondrejov Observatory; A. W. Harris, Space Science Institute, La Canada, CA, U.S.A.; D. Higgins, Hunters Hill Observatory, Ngunnawal, ACT, Australia; C. Bembrick, Mt. Tarana Observatory, Bathurst, NSW, Australia; and J. Brinsfield, Via Capote Observatory, Thousand Oaks, CA, U.S.A.}}

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