1731 Smuts
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Ernest Johnson |
| Discovery site | Johannesburg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 9 August 1948 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 1731 Smuts |
|
Named after
|
Jan Smuts (Field Marshal and PM)[2] |
| 1948 PH · 1926 TF 1931 QA · 1935 FS 1938 YB · 1941 KG 1947 LC · 1948 PP 1954 SX · 1960 WE 1966 UY |
|
| main-belt · (outer) [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 88.84 yr (32,448 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5686 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.7646 AU |
| 3.1666 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1269 |
| 5.64 yr (2,058 days) | |
| 260.97° | |
| Inclination | 5.9332° |
| 152.48° | |
| 203.96° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 54.07 km 54.71±0.98 km[4] 57.491±0.432 km[5] 53.87 km (derived)[3] |
| 12.5 h[6] | |
| 0.0604[1] 0.059±0.003[4] 0.0534±0.0060[5] 0.0421 (derived)[3] |
|
| C [3] | |
| 10.5 | |
1731 Smuts, provisional designation 1948 PH, is a large, carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, about 54 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by South African astronomer Ernest Johnson at Union Observatory, Johannesburg, on 9 August 1948.[7]
The C-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.8–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,058 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.13 and is tilted by 6 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. It has a rotation period of 12.5 hours[6] and an albedo of 0.05–0.06, according to observations carried out by the IRAS, Akari, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer missions.[1][4][5]
The asteroid was named after prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, Field Marshal and philosopher, Jan Smuts (1870–1950), under whom the discoverer of the asteroid fought in both World Wars. Smuts captured German South-West Africa in World War I and was the only man to sign both of the peace treaties ending the First and Second World Wars. He served as prime minister of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and again from 1939 until 1948.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 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 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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
- 1731 Smuts at the JPL Small-Body Database
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