(73059) Kaunas

Asteroid (73059) Kaunas
Properties of the orbit ( animation ) Epoch: May 23, 2014 ( JD 2,456,800.5)
Orbit type	Inner main belt asteroid
Major semi-axis	2.1728 AU
eccentricity	0.0860
Perihelion - aphelion	1.9859 AU - 2.3597 AU
Inclination of the orbit plane	4.1759 °
Length of the ascending node	49.4423 °
Argument of the periapsis	186.6684 °
Sidereal period	3.20 a
Mean orbital velocity	20.21 km / s
Physical Properties
Absolute brightness	16.3 mag
history
Explorer	Kazimieras Černis , Justas Zdanavičius
Date of discovery	March 16, 2002
Another name	2002 FO ₅ , 1999 KT ₂₀
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.

(73059) Kaunas is an asteroid of the main inner belt discovered by the Lithuanian astronomers Kazimieras Černis and Justas Zdanavičius on March 16, 2002 at the Molėtai Astronomical Observatory in Molėtai , northeast Lithuania, in the Utena district ( IAU code 152). The asteroid had already been sighted on May 18, 1999 under the provisional designation 1999 KT ₂₀ at the Lincoln Laboratory Experimental Test System in Socorro , New Mexico as part of the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project.

Mean solar distance ( major semi-axis ), eccentricity and inclination of the orbit plane of the asteroid roughly resemble the orbital data of the members of the Flora family, a large group of asteroids named after (8) Flora . Asteroids of this family move in a 4: 9 orbital resonance with the planet Mars around the sun . The group is also called the Ariadne family, after the asteroid (43) Ariadne .

(73059) Kaunas was named after Kaunas on January 25, 2005 , the second largest city in Lithuania.

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