(2272) Montezuma

Asteroid (2272) Montezuma
Properties of the orbit ( animation )
Orbit type	Inner main belt
Major semi-axis	1,867 AU
eccentricity	0.090
Perihelion - aphelion	1.699 AU - 2.035 AU
Inclination of the orbit plane	24.333 °
Length of the ascending node	175.544 °
Argument of the periapsis	278.105 °
Time of passage of the perihelion	August 10, 2017
Sidereal period	2.55 a
Physical Properties
Medium diameter	5.328 ± 0.008 km
Albedo	0.165 ± 0.023
Rotation period	8.183 h
Absolute brightness	13.94 mag
Spectral class	Tholen: S
history
Explorer	Tom Gehrels
Date of discovery	March 16, 1972
Another name	1972 FA ; 1978 RY ₁₆ ; 1978 SY ₃
Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . The affiliation to an asteroid family is automatically determined from the AstDyS-2 database . Please also note the note on asteroid items.

(2272) Montezuma ( 1972 FA ; 1978 RY ₁₆ , 1978 SY ₃ ) is an asteroid of the inner main belt , which on 16 March 1972 by the Dutch - American astronomer Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory northeast of San Diego ( IAU code 675) was discovered.

designation

(2272) Montezuma was named after Moctezuma II (around 1465–1520) who was ruler of the Aztec empire from 1502 to 1520 . He believed that his land would belong to the snake god Quetzalcoatl (Asteroid (1915) Quetzálcoatl ) and that one day he would return from the east. The first Spaniards to land in America were interpreted by him as followers of Quetzalcoatl. After weak negotiations, he allowed the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés to occupy his capital. During the ensuing hostilities between Aztecs and Spaniards during the absence of Cortés, Moctezuma II was among the first to be killed.

Web links

(2272) Montezuma in the database of the "Asteroids - Dynamic Site" (AstDyS-2, English).
(2272) Montezuma in the Small-Body Database of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (English).

Individual evidence

^ Lutz D. Schmadel : Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . Fifth Revised and Enlarged Edition. Ed .: Lutz D. Schmadel. 5th edition. Springer Verlag , Berlin , Heidelberg 2003, ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7 , pp. 185 (English, 992 pp., Link.springer.com [ONLINE; accessed on November 3, 2017] Original title: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . First edition: Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg 1992): “Named in honor of the ninth emperor of the Aztec empire ”

[1] Lutz D. Schmadel : Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . Fifth Revised and Enlarged Edition. Ed .: Lutz D. Schmadel. 5th edition. Springer Verlag , Berlin , Heidelberg 2003, ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7 , pp. 185 (English, 992 pp., Link.springer.com [ONLINE; accessed on November 3, 2017] Original title: Dictionary of Minor Planet Names . First edition: Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg 1992): “Named in honor of the ninth emperor of the Aztec empire ”