10121 Arzamas

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10121 Arzamas is a small, dark asteroid in the outer part of the main asteroid belt. It’s about 10 kilometers across and is likely a carbon-rich (C-type) object. It belongs to the Themis family, a group of asteroids with similar, nearly flat orbits in the outer belt.

Discovery and naming
Arzamas was discovered on 27 January 1993 by Belgian astronomer Eric W. Elst at the Caussols Observatory in France. It has also been seen earlier as 2118 T-1 during a 1971 Palomar–Leiden survey. The asteroid was named after the Russian city of Arzamas, founded in 1578 on the Tyosha River and known for leather and fabric dyeing. The naming citation appeared in 2007.

Orbit and characteristics
Arzamas orbits the Sun every about 5.74 years (roughly 2,095 days) at a distance of about 2.7 to 3.7 astronomical units. Its orbit is moderately elongated (eccentricity around 0.15) and its tilt is very small (about 0.9 degrees to the ecliptic). The observation record spans about 46 years, giving a well-determined path.

Rotation and size
Observations show a rotation period of roughly 12.1 hours (two measurements give 12.1 and about 12.199 hours). Its diameter is around 10 kilometers, with an albedo near 0.08, indicating a relatively dark surface. The asteroid’s absolute brightness is around 13.3 magnitudes.