8661 Ratzinger
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
L. D. Schmadel F. Börngen |
| Discovery site | Karl Schwarzschild Obs. |
| Discovery date | 14 October 1990 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 8661 Ratzinger |
Named after |
Pope Benedict XVI (Pope, chronology)[2] |
|
1990 TA13 · 1969 US 1974 TM1 · 1992 CB1 | |
| main-belt | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 46.15 yr (16,858 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1116 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.9008 AU |
| 3.0062 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0350 |
| 5.21 yr (1,904 days) | |
| 239.36° | |
| Inclination | 10.580° |
| 38.220° | |
| 86.003° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 20 km (calculated at 0.05)[3] |
| 12.3[1] | |
|
| |
8661 Ratzinger, provisional designation 1990 TA13, is an asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, roughly 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on October 14, 1990 by German astronomers Lutz Schmadel and Freimut Börngen at the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory in Tautenburg, eastern Germany.[4]
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.9–3.1 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,904 days). Its orbit shows a low eccentricity of 0.04 and an inclination of 11 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic.[1]
Little is known about the asteroid's effective size, composition, albedo and rotation, despite having a well-observed orbit with the lowest possible condition code and an observation arc that spans over a period of nearly half a century. Based on its absolute magnitude of 12.3, its diameter is between 9 and 21 kilometers, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.[3] Since most asteroids in the outer main-belt are of a carbonaceous rather than of a silicaceous composition, with a low albedo, typically around 0.05, the asteroid's diameter might be on the upper end of NASA's published conversion table, as the lower the albedo (reflectivity), the larger the body's diameter for its given absolute magnitude (brightness).[3]
The asteroid was named after German Joseph Ratzinger (b. 1927), then Cardinal and professor of theology, for the role he played in supervising the opening of the Vatican Secret Archives in 1998 to researchers investigating judicial errors against Galileo, after whom the minor planet 697 Galilea is named, and other medieval scientists. Ratzinger was considered to be one of the most authoritative voices in the Vatican and became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. The name was proposed by the asteroid's first discoverer, Lutz Schmadel.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 8661 Ratzinger (1990 TA13)" (2015-12-12 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved February 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (8661) Ratzinger. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 659. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved February 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Retrieved February 2016.
- ↑ "8661 Ratzinger (1990 TA13)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved February 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 (5001)-(10000) – Minor Planet Center
- 8661 Ratzinger at the JPL Small-Body Database
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