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 | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 108.59 yr (39,661 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.6530 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1386 AU |
| 2.3958 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1073 |
| 3.71 yr (1,355 days) | |
| 117.92° | |
| Inclination | 6.9463° |
| 44.658° | |
| 342.90° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 12.7 | |
1781 Van Biesbroeck, provisional designation A906 UB, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt. 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 (1,355 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.11 and is tilted by 7 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. Little is known about the asteroids size, composition, albedo and rotation, despite having 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] 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]
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] 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 stars named after people. The George Van Biesbroeck Prize, awarded by the American Astronomical Society for achievements in astronomy, also bears his name.
References
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
- 1781 Van Biesbroeck at the JPL Small-Body Database
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