2044 Wirt
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. A. Wirtanen |
| Discovery site | Lick Observatory |
| Discovery date | 8 November 1950 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2044 Wirt |
|
Named after
|
Carl Wirtanen (discoverer himself)[2] |
| 1950 VE | |
| Mars-crosser · Phocaea [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 64.75 yr (23,649 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1988 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.5629 AU |
| 2.3808 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3435 |
| 3.67 yr (1,342 days) | |
| 198.70° | |
| Inclination | 23.968° |
| 53.663° | |
| 50.424° | |
| Known satellites | 1 [4][5] (diameter: 2 km) (orbit: 18.9 hours) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.66 km[6] 6.65 km (calculated)[3] |
| 3.6898 h[7] 3.6900±0.0003 h[8] 3.690±0.00005 h[4] 3.6895±0.0003 h[9] |
|
| 0.1907[6] 0.23 (assumed)[3] |
|
| S [3] | |
| 13.1 | |
2044 Wirt, provisional designation 1950 VE, is an eccentric, stony, and binary asteroid classified as a Mars-crosser. It was discovered by American astronomer Carl Wirtanen at Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, California on 8 November 1950.[10]
It measures about 7 kilometers in diameter and is a member of the Phocaea family of asteroids. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.6–3.2 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,342 days). Its orbit shows a high eccentricity of 0.34 and is heavily tilted by 24 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. The S-type minor planet has an albedo of 0.191[6] and a rotation period of 3.69 hours.[7][8]
In 2005, photometric observations of its light-curve confirmed the presence a 2-kilometer sized satellite, which gives the binary asteroid a diameter ratio of 0.25. The moon's orbital period is 18.97 hours.[4][5][7]
It was named after American astronomer Carl A. Wirtanen (1910–1990), known for his discovery of several comets and minor planets and for his long-time contribution to astrometric and several other programs of the Lick Observatory, notably the Shane-Wirtanen survey of galaxies and the proper-motion program with respect to galaxies.[2] 2044 Wirt is one of the rare cases where the asteroid had been named after its discoverer.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Geneve, Raoul Behrend
- 2044 Wirt at the JPL Small-Body Database
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