2094 Magnitka (prov. designation: 1971 TC2) is a Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 12 October 1971, at and by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula.[12] The discovery has not been attributed to an observing astronomer. It was later named for the city of Magnitogorsk.[2]
Orbit and classification
Magnitka is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest families of stony asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.4AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,218 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first identified as 1941 WK at the Finnish Turku Observatory, extending the body's observation arc by 30 years prior to its official discovery observation.[12]
In October 2006, two rotational lightcurves for Magnitka were obtained from photometric observations by Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory and by John Menke at his Menke Observatory, respectively. Lightcurve analysis gave a concurring rotation period of 6.11 hours with a brightness variation of 0.80 and 0.86 magnitude (U=3-/n.a.), respectively, indicating a non-spheroidal shape for Magnitka.[10][a] In March 2016, Pierre Antonini obtained a tentative lightcurve, which gave a period of 6.24 hours and an amplitude of 0.85 (U=2+).[11]
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, the asteroid measures between 9.9 and 12.7 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.132.[4][5][6][7][8][9] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with Pravec's revised thermal WISE data,[7] taking an albedo of 0.12, and a diameter of 12.17 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 12.49.[3]
Notes
123Pravec (2006): Observed on 26 January 2006; rotation period of 6.1124±0.0002 hours; brightness amplitude of 0.86 magnitude; no quality code assessment. Summary figures for (2094) Magnitka at Light Curve Database
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