1781 Van Biesbroeck

1781 Van Biesbroeck
Discovery [1]
Discovered by A. Kopff
Discovery site Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date 17 October 1906
Designations
MPC designation 1781 Van Biesbroeck
Named after
 George Van Biesbroeck
(astronomer)[2]
A906 UB · 1954 SZ
1958 VP · 1969 TM2
main-belt [3] · Vestian [4]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 109.49 yr (39,991 days)
Aphelion 2.6533 AU
Perihelion 2.1355 AU
2.3944 AU
Eccentricity 0.1081
3.71 yr (1,353 days)
224.2926°
0° 15m 57.6s / day
Inclination 6.9497°
44.6314°
342.9118°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 9 km (estimate at 0.20)[5]
XS [4]
12.8[1] 12.75[4]

    1781 Van Biesbroeck, provisional designation A906 UB, is a dynamical Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, estimated to measure approximately 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 October 1906, by German astronomer August Kopff at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.[3]

    The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.1–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,353 days). Its orbit is tilted by 7° to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an eccentricity of 0.11. It has a well-observed orbit with the lowest possible uncertainty (a condition code of 0) and an observation arc that spans over a period of more than a century.[1] Little is known about the asteroid's effective size, composition, albedo, rotation and shape. In addition, it is unknown whether the member of the Vesta family of asteroids is in fact a V/J-type, or if it is an unrelated interloper, as currently assumed to be more likely.[4]

    Based on an absolute magnitude of 12.8, it has an inferred diameter between 8 and 14 kilometers, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.[5] Since asteroids in the inner main-belt are often of a silicaceous rather than of a carbonaceous composition, with albedos typically around 0.20, the asteroid's diameter might be on the lower end of its estimated size range, as the higher the reflectivity (albedo), the smaller the body's diameter at a constant absolute magnitude.[5]

    The minor planet was named after renowned Belgian–born observational astronomer George Van Biesbroeck, who naturalized as U.S. citizens in 1922. He specialized in the observation of double stars, variable stars, comets and asteroids, of which he discovered sixteen at the U.S. Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, between 1922 and 1939.[2] Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 3569).[6] In 1961, he published the Van Biesbroeck's star catalog of low-mass, low-luminosity stars. The mountain Van Biesbroeck near the McDonald Observatory, the lunar crater Van Biesbroeck, and most notably the red dwarf Van Biesbroeck's Star, were also named in his honour. (There are very few stars named after people). The George Van Biesbroeck Prize, awarded by the American Astronomical Society for achievements in astronomy, also bears his name.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1781 Van Biesbroeck (A906 UB)" (2016-04-20 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1781) Van Biesbroeck. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 142. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
    3. 1 2 "1781 Van Biesbroeck (A906 UB)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 4 Moskovitz, Nicholas A. (2008). "The Distribution of Basaltic Asteroids in the Main Belt" (PDF). arXiv:0807.3951Freely accessible.
    5. 1 2 3 "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
    6. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 May 2016.

    External links

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