148780 Altjira is a binary

classical Kuiper belt object A classical Kuiper belt object, also called a cubewano ( "QB1-o"), is a low-eccentricity Kuiper belt object (KBO) that orbits beyond Neptune and is not controlled by an orbital resonance with Neptune. Cubewanos have orbits with semi-major a ...

(cubewano).Johnston's Archive on (148780) Altjira
Retrieved 2011-11-29 The secondary, S/2007 (148780) 1, is large compared to the primary, vs. . The Altjiran lightcurve is quite flat (Δmag<0.10), which is indicative of a "quasi-spherical body with a homogeneous surface".Transneptunian objects and Centaurs from light curves
/ref> The satellite's orbit has the following parameters: semi-major-axis, ; period, ; eccentricity, ; and inclination, (retrograde). The total system mass is about 4 kg. It was named after the

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

creation deity,

Altjira The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his c ...

, who created the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

during the

Dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...

and then retired to the sky.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Altjira 148780 148780 Named minor planets Binary trans-Neptunian objects 20011020