1776 Kuiper
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
C. J. van Houten I. van Houten-G. T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 September 1960 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 1776 Kuiper |
Named after |
Gerard Kuiper (astronomer)[2] |
|
2520 P-L · 1930 EB 1931 KK · 1938 SU 1952 DQ2 · 1963 FJ | |
| main-belt [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 86.01 yr (31,415 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1435 AU |
| Perihelion | 3.0617 AU |
| 3.1026 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0132 |
| 5.47 yr (1,996 days) | |
| 326.03° | |
| 0° 10m 49.08s / day | |
| Inclination | 9.4931° |
| 176.68° | |
| 305.05° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 35.96±1.6 km (IRAS:9)[1] |
| 0.0544±0.005 (IRAS:9)[1] | |
| 11.3[1] | |
|
| |
1776 Kuiper, provisional designation 2520 P-L, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 36 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten in collaboration with Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at the U.S. Palomar Observatory in California.[3]
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 3.1–3.1 AU once every 5 years and 6 months (1,996 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.01 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Its geometric albedo of 0.054, a typical value for a C-type asteroid in the outer main-belt, has been measured by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS).[1]
The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of 4,620 minor planets.[4]
The minor planet is named after Dutch–American astronomer Gerard Kuiper (1905–1973), initiator of the Palomar-Leiden survey. He was a well-known authority in the field of planetary science and director at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and at Yerkes Observatory. He discovered Miranda and Nereid, satellites of Uranus and Neptune, respectively. The third zone of the Solar System, the Kuiper belt, is named after him. Also, the Mercurian crater Kuiper, the Martian crater Kuiper and the lunar crater Kuiper all bear his name.[2] Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 3185).[5]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1776 Kuiper (2520 P-L)" (2016-03-05 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1776) Kuiper. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 142. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- 1 2 "1776 Kuiper (2520 P-L)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ↑ "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 28 December 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 24 June 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
- 1776 Kuiper at the JPL Small-Body Database
