2227 Otto Struve

2227 Otto Struve

Discovery
Discovered by	Indiana Asteroid Program
Discovery site	Goethe Link Obs.
Discovery date	13 September 1955
Designations
MPC designation	2227 Otto Struve
Named after	Otto Struve (astronomer)
Alternative names	1955 RX · 1935 UP 1955 SA2 · 1962 WL2 1965 SV · 1970 ET2
Minor planet category	main-belt
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	80.31 yr (29334 days)
Aphelion	2.6251 AU (392.71 Gm)
Perihelion	1.8470 AU (276.31 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.2361 AU (334.52 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.17399
Orbital period	3.34 yr (1221.3 d)
Mean anomaly	324.11°
Inclination	4.9500°
Longitude of ascending node	178.90°
Argument of perihelion	253.93°
Earth MOID	0.868081 AU (129.8631 Gm)
Jupiter MOID	2.66248 AU (398.301 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	9±4 (generic)
Absolute magnitude (H)	13.4

2227 Otto Struve, provisional designation 1955 RX, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, roughly 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by the Indiana Asteroid Program at the U.S. Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, on 13 September 1955.

The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.8–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,221 days). Its orbit is tilted by 5 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an eccentricity of 0.17. Little is known about the asteroids exact size, composition, albedo and rotation period, 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 80 years. Based on its absolute magnitude of 13.4, its diameter could be anywhere between 5 and 13 kilometers, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25. Since most asteroids in the outer main-belt are of a carbonaceous rather than of a silicaceous composition, with low albedos, typically around 0.05, the asteroid's diameter might be on the upper end of NASA's published conversion table, as the lower the reflectivity (albedo), the larger the body's diameter for a given intrinsic brightness (absolute magnitude).

The minor planet is named in memory of astronomer Otto Struve (1897–1963), discoverer of the two asteroids 991 McDonalda and 992 Swasey, and last of a remarkable dynasty of astronomers: the Struve family. His greatgrandfather, Wilhelm Struve (also see 768 Struveana), founded the Pulkovo Observatory near St. Petersburg in 1839; his grandfather (Otto), uncle (Hermann) and father (Ludwig) were also distinguished astronomers. Following a period of great privation and misery after World War I, he was invited by Edwin B. Frost (also see 854 Frostia) to come to the U.S. Yerkes Observatory in 1921. He started working in spectroscopy and remained a spectroscopist to the end of his days. He succeeded Frost as Yerkes director in 1932 and was the major force responsible for the establishment of the Texan McDonald Observatory in 1933. Managing editor of the Astrophysical Journal from 1932 to 1947 and became head of the astronomy department of the University of California in Berkeley in 1950.

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
• 2227 Otto Struve at the JPL Small-Body Database

• Discovery · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters