950 Ahrensa
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 1 April 1921 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 950 Ahrensa |
|
Named after
|
Ahrens family (friends of discoverer)[2] |
| 1921 JP · 1955 SU2 1974 VG3 · A904 RF |
|
| main-belt · Phocaea [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 111.13 yr (40,591 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.7477 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9956 AU |
| 2.3716 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1585 |
| 3.65 yr (1,334 days) | |
| 304.95° | |
| Inclination | 23.474° |
| 181.81° | |
| 348.34° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 15.03±1.8 (IRAS:15) km[4] 16.21±0.53 km[5] 14.299±0.070 km[6] 16.66±0.41 km[7] 15.34 km (derived)[3] |
| 202±1 h[8] | |
| 0.1793±0.054 (IRAS:15)[4] 0.158±0.011[5] 0.1988±0.0203[6] 0.231±0.031[7] 0.2727 (derived)[3] |
|
| SMASS = Sa S [3] |
|
| 11.1[1] | |
950 Ahrensa, provisional designation 1921 JP, is a stony asteroid and slow rotator from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 15 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 1 April 1921, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.[9]
The S-type asteroid, classified as a Sa-subtype in the SMASS taxonomic scheme, is a member of the Phocaea family, a group of asteroids with similar orbital characteristics. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,334 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.16 and is tilted by 23 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic.
A photometric light-curve analysis at the U.S. Palmer Divide Observatory in 2009, showed that the body has an exceptionally long rotation period of 202 hours.[8] According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and the U.S. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the surface of the asteroid has an albedo in the range of 0.16 to 0.23, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an even higher value of 0.27 for the stony body.[3][4][5][6][7]
The minor planet was named in honor of friends of the discoverer Karl Reinmuth, the Ahrens family, who helped him financially at the Heidelberg Observatory. Reinmuth also named the minor planet 909 Ulla after Ulla Ahrens, a member of this family.[2]
References
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- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 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 Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 950 Ahrensa at the JPL Small-Body Database
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