14974 Počátky, provisional designation 1997 SK1, is a stony background asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Czech astronomer Miloš Tichý at Kleť Observatory in the Czech Republic on 22 September 1997, and named for the Czech town Počátky.[8]

14974 Počátky
Discovery[1]
Discovered byM. Tichý
Discovery siteKleť Obs.
Discovery date22 September 1997
Designations
(14974) Počátky
Named after
Počátky (Czech town)[2]
1997 SK1 · 1991 FF2
main-belt · (middle)[3]
background
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc26.13 yr (9,543 days)
Aphelion2.8575 AU
Perihelion2.4047 AU
2.6311 AU
Eccentricity0.0860
4.27 yr (1,559 days)
100.11°
0° 13m 51.24s / day
Inclination3.8704°
338.42°
158.25°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions4.040±0.831 km[4][5]
4.88 km (calculated)[3]
21.7079±0.0320 h[6]
21.7277±0.0320 h[6]
0.10 (assumed)[3]
0.226±0.100[4][5]
S[3]
14.2[1][4] · 14.225±0.009 (R)[6] · 14.226±0.005 (R)[6] · 14.43±0.19[7] · 14.67[3]

Classification and orbit edit

Počátky is a stony S-type asteroid, that orbits the Sun in the middle main-belt at a distance of 2.4–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,559 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] A first precovery was taken at ESO's La Silla Observatory in 1991, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 6 years prior to its discovery.[8]

Physical characteristics edit

Two rotational lightcurves for this asteroid were obtained from photometric observations made at the U.S Palomar Transient Factory, California, in August 2010 and February 2012. The lightcurves gave a rotation period of 21.7277±0.0320 and 21.7079±0.0320 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.57 and 0.68 in magnitude, respectively (U=2/2).[6]

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Počátky measures 4.0 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.23,[4][5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes an untypically low albedo for stony asteroids of 0.10, and thus calculates a larger diameter of 4.9 kilometers.[3]

Naming edit

This minor planet was named after the south Bohemian town of Počátky, Czech Republic. It is the birthplace of the discoverer Miloš Tichý.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 11 November 2000 (M.P.C. 41572).[9]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 14974 Pocatky (1997 SK1)" (2017-05-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(14974) Počátky". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (14974) Počátky. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 819. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_9074. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "LCDB Data for (14974) Pocatky". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal. 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  7. ^ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 17 May 2016.
  8. ^ a b "14974 Pocatky (1997 SK1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  9. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 May 2016.

External links edit