Minorplanet: | yes |
49777 Cappi | |
Background: |
|
Discovery Ref: |   |
Discovered: | 2 December 1999 |
Mpc Name: | (49777) Cappi |
Named After: | Margaret Comba |
Mp Category: | main-belt  background  |
Orbit Ref: |   |
Epoch: | 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) |
Uncertainty: | 0 |
Observation Arc: | 24.96 yr (9,115 days) |
Perihelion: | 2.1982 AU |
Semimajor: | 2.3560 AU |
Eccentricity: | 0.0670 |
Period: | 3.62 yr (1,321 days) |
Mean Motion: | / day |
Inclination: | 4.4688° |
Asc Node: | 237.61° |
Arg Peri: | 341.93° |
Mean Diameter: | 1.85 km |
Albedo: | 0.20 |
Abs Magnitude: | 15.6 16.02 |
49777 Cappi (provisional designation ) is a stony background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 2 December 1999, by Italian–American astronomer Paul Comba at the Prescott Observatory in Arizona, United States. It was named after the discoverer's wife, Margaret Capitola Sonntag Comba.
Cappi is a non-family from the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 2.2–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,321 days; semi-major axis of 2.36 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.
The asteroid's observation arc begins 8 years prior to its official discovery observation, with a precovery taken by the Steward Observatory's Spacewatch survey at Kitt Peak in September 1991.
Cappi is an assumed stony S-type asteroid.
In September 2013, a rotational lightcurve of Cappi was obtained from photometric observation taken in the R-band at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. It showed a rotation period of hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.78 magnitude, indicating a non-spheroidal shape.
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 1.85 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 16.02.
This minor planet was named after Margaret Capitola Sonntag Comba (born 1940), a psychologist and art therapist by profession, faculty member at Prescott College, and wife of the discoverer. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 May 2004 .