1044 Teutonia, provisional designation 1924 RO, is a stony asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 10 May 1924, by astronomer Karl ReinmuthatHeidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.[13] The asteroid was named after the land inhabited by the Teutonic people.[2]
Teutonia orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,510 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The asteroid's observation arc begin 17 years prior to its official discovery observation, with its first identification as A907 EE at Taunton Observatory (803) in March 1907.[13]
Images of the object made during 2007 were used to produce a light curve that gave a synodic period of 2.84 ± 0.04 h. However, a study made in 2006 gave a period of 3.153 ± 0.003, which can not yet be ruled out. The brightness of the object varied by 0.20 ± 0.03 in magnitude over the course of each rotation.[8]
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, Teutonia measures between 15.20 and 17.929 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.2449 and 0.3340.[3][5][6][7] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.3613 and a diameter of 15.30 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 10.8.[4]
This minor planet was named for the land once inhabited by the Teutons, a Germanic tribe that lived in what is now Jutland. The name was proposed by astronomer Gustav Stracke.[2]
^ abcdUsui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)