1631 Kopff

1631 Kopff
Discovery[1]
Discovered by Y. Väisälä
Discovery site Turku Observatory
Discovery date 11 October 1936
Designations
MPC designation 1631 Kopff
Named after
August Kopff
(astronomer)[2]
1936 UC · 1926 TH
1935 FG · 1946 SA
1952 HV2
main-belt · Flora[3]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 88.75 yr (32416 days)
Aphelion 2.7125 AU (405.78 Gm)
Perihelion 1.7575 AU (262.92 Gm)
2.2350 AU (334.35 Gm)
Eccentricity 0.21365
3.34 yr (1220.4 d)
290.16°
 17m 41.928s / day
Inclination 7.4945°
16.830°
315.16°
Earth MOID 0.755236 AU (112.9817 Gm)
Jupiter MOID 2.66669 AU (398.931 Gm)
Jupiter Tisserand parameter 3.598
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 9.66 km[4]
9.58±0.21 km[5]
8.64±0.39 km[6]
9.71 km (derived)[3]
Mean radius
4.83 ± 0.6 km
6.683 h (0.2785 d)[1][7]
0.2497[4]
0.259±0.012[5]
0.342±0.061[6]
0.2710 (derived)[3]
0.2497 ± 0.074[1]
S[3]
12.1

    1631 Kopff, provisional designation 1936 UC, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory on 11 October 1936 (also see discovery circumstances below).[8][lower-alpha 1]

    The asteroid is a member of the Flora family, a large group of stony S-type asteroids in the inner main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.8–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,221 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.21 and is tilted by 7 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. It has a rotation period of 6.7 hours[7] and an albedo of 0.250, according to the surveys carried out by IRAS, Akari, and WISE/NEOWISE.[4][5][6]

    The minor planet was named after German astronomer August Kopff (1882–1960). He was first an assistant to Max Wolf prolific discoverer of minor planets himself. In 1924 he became Director of the Astronomisches Rechen-Institut in Berlin, and after the western section moved to Heidelberg he also became director of Heidelberg-Königstuhl Observatory. He was responsible for constructing the third Catalogue of Fundamental Stars (FK3) and initiated work on the fourth (FK4). The lunar carter Kopff is also named in his honour.[2]

    Notes

    1. Quoted from Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1631) Kopff: Karl Reinmuth discovered the planet as 1926 TH on 1926 October 5. The planet could only have been observed on two nights which was not sufficient to derive a reliable orbit. The discovery is therefore credited to Y. Väisälä. Elliptical elements were derived by H. Walter (MPC 1897) from five positions of 1936 UC. The identity between both apparitions was found by A. Patry (MPC 1451).

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1631 Kopff (1936 UC)" (2015-07-06 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1631) Kopff. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 129. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved November 2015.
    3. 1 2 3 4 "LCDB Data for (1631) Kopff". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved November 2015.
    4. 1 2 3 Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved November 2015.
    5. 1 2 3 Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. Retrieved November 2015.
    6. 1 2 3 Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. Retrieved November 2015.
    7. 1 2 Sada, Pedro V.; Canizales, Eder D.; Armada, Edgar M. (September 2004). "CCD photometry of asteroids 970 Primula and 1631 Kopff using a remote commercial telescope". The Minor Planet Bulletin 31 (3): 49–50. Bibcode:2004MPBu...31...49S. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved November 2015.
    8. "1631 Kopff (1936 UC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved November 2015.

    External links


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