1134 Kepler
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. F. Wolf |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 25 September 1929 |
| Designations | |
| (1134) Kepler | |
Named after | Johannes Kepler (astronomer)[2] |
| 1929 SA · 1951 SA | |
| Mars-crosser [1][3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 86.62 yr (31,638 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.9338 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.4219 AU |
| 2.6779 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.4690 |
| 4.38 yr (1,601 days) | |
| 320.25° | |
| 0° 13m 29.64s / day | |
| Inclination | 15.312° |
| 5.7988° | |
| 332.89° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.4329 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 4±1 km (generic)[4] |
| unknown[5] | |
| SMASS = S[1] | |
| 14.2[1] | |
1134 Kepler, provisional designation 1929 SA, is a stony asteroid and eccentric Mars-crosser from the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 25 September 1929, by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.[3] It is named after Johannes Kepler.[2]
Description
In the SMASS taxonomy, Kepler is a stony S-type asteroid. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.4–3.9 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,601 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.47 and an inclination of 15° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The body's observation arc begins at Heidelberg, the night after its official discovery observation.[3]
Kepler's diameter has not been estimated by any of the prominent space-based surveys such as the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS (1982), the Japanese Akari satellite (2006), NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (2009) or its subsequent NEOWISE mission (2013).[1] Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, Kepler's diameter is between 3 and 8 kilometer for an absolute magnitude of 14.2 and an assumed albedo in the range of 0.25 to 0.05.[4] Since its spectral type falls into the class of stony asteroids, which have an averaged standard albedo around 0.20, Kepler's generic diameter is close to 4 kilometers, as the higher a body's albedo (reflectivity), the shorter its diameter at a fixed absolute magnitude (brightness).[4]
As of 2017, Kepler's rotation period and shape remain unknown, which is rather unusual, as 1457 out of the first 1500 low-numbered minor planets have a least an estimated period.[5][6]
This minor planet was named on the commemoration of the 300th death anniversary of astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630), best known for his laws of planetary motion. Kepler is also honored by a lunar and Martian crater, by Kepler Dorsum – a mountain ridge on the Martian moon Phobos, and by Kepler's Supernova. Naming citation was first published in 1930, in the astronomy journal Astronomical Notes (AN 240, 135).[2] The space observatory Kepler and its many discovered exoplanets also bear his name (see also Kepler (disambiguation)).
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1134 Kepler (1929 SA)" (2016-05-10 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1134) Kepler. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 96. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "1134 Kepler (1929 SA)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ a b c "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ a b "LCDB Data for (1134) Kepler". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "LCDB: Summary Table Query Form". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 8 February 2017.
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
- 1134 Kepler at the JPL Small-Body Database
