1917 Cuyo

1917 Cuyo (prov. designation: 1968 AA) is an stony asteroid and near-Earth object of the Amor group, approximately 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 1 January 1968, by astronomer Carlos Cesco and A. G. Samuel at El Leoncito Observatory, Argentina.^[3]

1917 Cuyo

Modelled shape of Cuyo from its lightcurve
Discovery[1]
Discovered by	C. U. Cesco A. G. Samuel
Discovery site	El Leoncito Complex
Discovery date	1 January 1968
Designations
MPC designation	(1917) Cuyo
Named after	Universidad Nacional de Cuyo[2]
Alternative designations	1968 AA
Minor planet category	NEO · Amor[1][3]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	65.08 yr (23,769 d)
Earliest precovery date	6 May 1954
Aphelion	3.2353 AU
Perihelion	1.0624 AU
Semi-major axis	2.1488 AU
Eccentricity	0.5056
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.15 yr (1,151 d)
Mean anomaly	129.40°
Mean motion	0° 18m 46.44s / day
Inclination	23.962°
Longitude of ascending node	188.31°
Argument of perihelion	194.53°
Earth MOID	0.0716 AU (27.8938 LD)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	5.7 km[4]
Synodic rotation period	2.6890 h[5]
Geometric albedo	0.195±0.032[4]
Spectral type	SMASS = Sl[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.9[3] 14.3[1]

Orbit and classification

Cuyo orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.1–3.2 AU once every 3 years and 2 months (1,151 days; semi-major axis of 2.15 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.51 and an inclination of 24° with respect to the ecliptic.^[3]

Naming

This minor planet is named in honor of the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, which operated the observatory at El Leoncito in collaboration with Columbia and Yale University. Cuyo is also the name of a region in central-west Argentina.^[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 June 1975 (M.P.C. 3828).^[6]

Physical characteristics

SMASS classification Cuyo is a stony Sl-type.^[3] In 1989, Cuyo was detected with radar from the Arecibo Observatory at a distance of 0.17 AU. The measured radar cross-section was 2.5 km².^[7] According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Cuyo measures 5.7 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.195.^[3]