1953 Rupertwildt
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Indiana Asteroid Program |
| Discovery site | Goethe Link Obs. |
| Discovery date | 29 October 1951 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 1953 Rupertwildt |
Named after | Rupert Wildt [2] |
|
1951 UK · 1929 VC 1929 WD · 1934 RJ 1951 WG · 1958 BD | |
| main-belt | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 85.86 yr (31,362 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.6760 AU (549.92 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.5403 AU (380.02 Gm) |
| 3.1081 AU (464.97 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.18270 |
| 5.48 yr (2,001 days) | |
| 239.04° | |
| 0° 10m 47.64s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.4594° |
| 74.276° | |
| 327.03° | |
| Jupiter Tisserand parameter | 3.192 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 24 km (est. at 0.06)[3] |
| 11.9[1] | |
|
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1953 Rupertwildt, provisionally designated 1951 UK, is an asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, roughly 24 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 29 October 1951, by the U.S. Indiana Asteroid Program of Indiana University at its Goethe Link Observatory, Indiana.[4]
The outer-belt asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.5–3.7 AU once every five and a half years (2,001 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and is nearly coplanar to the ecliptic, inclined by only 2°.[1] Due to a precovery obtained at Lowell Observatory in 1929, the asteroid's observation arc begins 22 years before its discovery.[4] As of 2016, its effective size, composition and albedo, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.[1]
Based on an absolute magnitude of 11.9, the asteroid measures between 12 and 26 kilometers in diameter, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.[3] Since asteroids in the outer main-belt are mostly of a carbonaceous rather than of a silicaceous composition, with low albedos, typically around 0.06, the asteroid's diameter might be on the uppper end of NASA's published conversion table, as the lower the body's reflectivity (albedo), the larger its diameter, at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).[3]
It was named in memory of German–American astronomer Rupert Wildt (1905–1976), professor of Astronomy at Yale University. In 1966, he was awarded the Eddington Medal by the Royal Astronomical Society for his discovery of the importance of negative hydrogen ions as a contributor to the solar atmosphere's opacity. He was one of the first to construct a model of the composition of the giant planets, as he recognized that the hydrogen-rich methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) were the cause for the absorption bands at red wavelengths. In the 1960s and 1970s, Wildt was also chairman, president and the first scientific representative on the board of AURA.[2] The lunar crater Wildt is also named in his honour.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1953 Rupertwildt (1951 UK)" (2015-08-14 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved April 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1953) Rupertwildt. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 157. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved April 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Retrieved April 2016.
- 1 2 "1953 Rupertwildt (1951 UK)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved April 2016.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 1953 Rupertwildt at the JPL Small-Body Database
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