(5042) Colpa Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 20 June 1974 by Felix Aguilar Observatory at El Leoncito.
Colpa is the word used by the Huarpe aborigines of Argentina to refer to those stones that, in their judgment, were composed of pure minerals. Agriculture and mining were the two most important activities of the Huarpes, who flourished in what is now San Juan province, where this minor planet was discovered.Naming citation (20000726/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Colpa is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Colpa is 2.85 au from the Sun and 3.20 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 5042 |
| Provisional designation | 1974 ME |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 17.8 km (#2,519 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.138 |
| Rotation period | 170 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 11.54 |
| Orbital period | 5.21 years |
| Semi-major axis | 3.01 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.85 – 3.17 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0529 |
| Inclination | 11.1° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.83 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.