10241 Miličević

10241 Miličević, provisional designation 1999 AU₆, is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 9 January 1999, by Croatian astronomer Korado Korlević at the Višnjan Observatory in Croatia. The C-type asteroid has a short rotation period of 3.87 hours and was named after hermit and amateur astronomer Don Nikola Miličević.^[1][3]

10241 Miličević

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	K. Korlević
Discovery site	Višnjan Obs.
Discovery date	9 January 1999
Designations
MPC designation	(10241) Miličević
Named after	Nikola Miličević[1] (Croatian hermit)
Alternative designations	1999 AU6 · 1981 UX24 1996 KB1 · 1997 WB49
Minor planet category	main-belt[1][2] · (outer)[3] Themis[4]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	35.69 yr (13,034 d)
Aphelion	3.5285 AU
Perihelion	2.5672 AU
Semi-major axis	3.0479 AU
Eccentricity	0.1577
Orbital period (sidereal)	5.32 yr (1,944 d)
Mean anomaly	345.06°
Mean motion	0° 11m 6.72s / day
Inclination	1.6172°
Longitude of ascending node	151.77°
Argument of perihelion	190.89°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	10.882±0.159 km[5][6] 8.39 km (calculated)[3]
Synodic rotation period	3.87±0.03 h[7]
Geometric albedo	0.057 (assumed)[3] 0.065±0.005[5][6]
Spectral type	C[3][8]
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.4[6] 13.6[2] 13.66±0.11 (R)[7] 13.67±0.18[8] 14.11[3]

Orbit and classification

Miličević is a Themistian asteroid that belongs to the Themis family (602),^[4] a very large family of carbonaceous asteroids, named after 24 Themis.^[9] It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.6–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 4 months (1,944 days; semi-major axis of 3.05 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.^[2]

The body's observation arc begins with its first observation at Palomar Observatory in October 1981, more than 17 years prior to its official discovery observation at Višnjan.^[1]

Physical characteristics

Based on its classification to the Themis family and on observations conducted by the Pan-STARRS survey, Miličević is a carbonaceous C-type asteroid.^[3][8]

Rotation period

In December 2014, a rotational lightcurve of Miličević was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a short rotation period of 3.87 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.34 magnitude (U=2).^[3][7]

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Miličević measures 10.882 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.065,^[5][6] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a carbonaceous asteroid of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 8.39 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.11.^[3]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Don Nikola Miličević (1887–1963), Croatian amateur astronomer and last administrator of Blaca hermitage. The Hermitage is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the Brač island in Croatia.^[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 December 2005 (M.P.C. 55720).^[10]