37432 Piszkéstető


37432 Piszkéstető, provisional designation , is an Erigonian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 11 January 2002, by the Hungarian astronomers Krisztián Sárneczky and Zsuzsanna Heiner at the Konkoly Observatory's Piszkéstető Station northeast of Budapest, Hungary. The asteroid was later named for the discovering observatory.

Orbit and classification

Piszkéstető is a member of the Erigone family of asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 8 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic.
The body's observation arc begins 7 years prior to its official discovery observation, with a precovery taken by the Steward Observatory's Spacewatch survey at Kitt Peak in March 1995.

Naming

This minor planet was named in honour of the discovering observatory, the Piszkéstető Station, located in the Mátra Mountains at above sea level, about 80 kilometers northeast of Hungary's capital. The station belongs to the Konkoly Observatory in Budapest. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 4 May 2004.

Physical characteristics

According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Piszkéstető measures 4.6 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a low albedo of 0.051, which is typical for C-type asteroids. The results agree with a generic absolute magnitude-to-diameter conversion for an assumed albedo of 0.05 and an absolute magnitude of 15.6.

Lightcurves

As of 2018, the asteroid's composition, shape and rotation period remain unknown.