449 Hamburga

449 Hamburga
Discovery
Discovered by M. Wolf,
A. Schwassmann
Discovery date October 31, 1899
Designations
Named after
 Hamburg
1899 EU
Main belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 30 January 2005 (JD 2453400.5)
Aphelion 447.271 Gm (2.99 AU)
Perihelion 316.498 Gm (2.116 AU)
381.884 Gm (2.553 AU)
Eccentricity 0.171
1489.704 d (4.08 a)
18.64 km/s
197.752°
Inclination 3.09°
86.045°
46.353°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 66.76 ± 4.82[2] km
Mass (1.57 ± 1.40) × 1018 kg[2]
Spectral type
 C
9.79[3]

    449 Hamburga is a large Main belt asteroid that was discovered by German astronomers Max Wolf and A. Schwassmann on October 31, 1899 in Heidelberg. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of carbonaceous material. It is named for the city of Hamburg in Germany.[4] The name was announced in 1901 during a festival held by the Mathematical Society of Hamburg.[4]

    In the 1980s and 1990s, NASA considered a spacecraft mission to the asteroid, including a tie-in with McDonald's.[5] The mission plan called for a launch in 1995 and a flyby of Hamburga in early 1998.[6]

    In August 1988 in the United States' city of Baltimore, a P. Weissman addressed the International Astronomical Union on a mission to this asteroid (449), a mission which also include a rendezvous with Comet Kopf.[7] See Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby for more on the mission to the comet. This mission can also be compared to Rosetta, which successfully flew by two minor planets and orbited a Comet during its approach to the Sun in the early 21st century.

    P. Weissman later worked on the Rosetta mission[8]

    It was predicted that 449 occulted the star HIP 1424 in July 2013.[9]

    449 Hamburga was identified as one of three asteroids that were likely to be a parent body for chondrites along with 304 Olga and 335 Roberta.[10] All three asteroids were known to have low-albedo (not reflect as much light) and be close to "meteorite producing resonances".[10] Chrondrites are the most common type of meteor found on Earth, accounting for over 80% of all meteors.[11] They are named for the tiny spherical silicate particles that are found inside them (those particles are called chondrules).[11]

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ Yeomans, Donald K., "449 Hamburga", JPL Small-Body Database Browser (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), retrieved 2013-03-25.
    2. 1 2 Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science 73, pp. 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009. See Table 1.
    3. ↑ Warner, Brian D. (December 2007), "Initial Results of a Dedicated H-G Project", The Minor Planet Bulletin 34, pp. 113–119, Bibcode:2007MPBu...34..113W.
    4. 1 2 (449) Hamburga
    5. ↑ Mars rover Curiosity’s other mission: publicity machine - December 5, 2012
    6. ↑ Transactions of the International Astronomical Union: Proceedings of the ... edited by Derek McNally (Google Books link)]
    7. ↑ Transactions of the International Astronomical Union: Proceedings of the ... edited by Derek McNally (Google Books link)]
    8. ↑ Planetary Ices: People
    9. ↑ Asteroid Occultation Updates
    10. 1 2 Lunar and planetary science: abstracts of papers submitted to the ... Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Volume 27, Part 1 - Lunar and Planetary Institute, Jan 1, 1996
    11. 1 2 ASU - Chondrites

    External links

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