2449 Kenos

2449 Kenos, provisional designation, is a bright Hungaria asteroid and medium-sized Mars-crosser from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer William Liller at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, on 8 April 1978, and named after Kenos from Selknam mythology. A minor-planet moon was discovered around the asteroid on 27 February 2015.

Orbit and classification

Kenos is a member of the Hungaria family, which form the innermost dense concentration of asteroids in the Solar System. IT orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.6–2.2 AU once every 2 years and 8 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 25° with respect to the ecliptic. Based on assumption made by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link, the body has a high albedo of 0.4, which is typical for E-type asteroids with a magnesium silicate surface .

Physical characteristics

In the Tholen taxonomy, Kenos is an E-type asteroid. PanSTARRS has characterized it as a CX-type, which transitions between the C-type and X-type asteroids.
Observations performed at the Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado, during 2007 produced a lightcurve with a period of hours and a brightness range of in magnitude. Two more recent observations confirmed the 3.85-hour period.

Naming

This minor planet was named after Kenos, the first man in the Selknam mythology of the Native Americans of Tierra del Fuego, sent by the Supreme Being to bring order into the world. He created the human race by using peat to make male and female organs, taught them language and instructed them in rules to fashion a harmonious society. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 6 February 1993.