| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. A. Wirtanen |
| Discovery site | Lick Obs. |
| Discovery date | 8 November 1950 |
| Designations | |
| (2044) Wirt | |
Named after | Carl Wirtanen (discoverer himself) [2] |
| 1950 VE | |
| Mars-crosser [1] [3] · Phocaea [4] [5] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 66.44 yr (24,269 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1989 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.5634 AU |
| 2.3812 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3434 |
| 3.67 yr (1,342 days) | |
| 53.286° | |
| 0° 16m 5.52s / day | |
| Inclination | 23.970° |
| 53.646° | |
| 50.474° | |
| Known satellites | 1 [6] [7] (⌀: 2 km; p: 19.0 h) |
| Earth MOID | 0.6559 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.65 km (calculated) [4] 6.66±0.6 km (IRAS:2) [8] |
| 3.6895±0.0003 h [9] 3.6898 h [10] 3.6900±0.0003 h [11] 3.690±0.00005 h [6] | |
| 0.1907±0.038 (IRAS:2) [8] 0.23 (assumed) [4] | |
| S [4] | |
| 12.838±0.002 (R) [9] ·13.1 [1] [4] ·13.3 [8] | |
2044 Wirt, provisional designation 1950 VE, is a binary [7] Phocaea asteroid and Mars-crosser, approximately 6.7 kilometers in diameter. The minor-planet moon has an estimated diameter of 1.89 kilometer.
The asteroid was discovered on 8 November 1950, by American astronomer Carl Wirtanen at Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, California, and later named after the discoverer himself. [3]
Wirt is both a member of the main-belt's Phocaea family ( 701 ) and a Mars-crossing asteroid, whose orbit crosses that of Mars. [1] [3] [4] [5] It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.6–3.2 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,342 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.34 and an inclination of 24° with respect to the ecliptic. [1]
The asteroid's observation arc begins two weeks after its official discovery with the first recorded observation at Lick Observatory on 22 November 1950. [3]
Wirt has been characterized as a stony S-type asteroid. [4]
Between 2005 and 2010, several rotational lightcurve were obtained for this asteroid from photometric observations taken by astronomers Donald Pray, Petr Pravec, Peter Kušnirák, Walter Cooney, Rui Goncalves and Raoul Behrend, as well as at the Palomar Transient Factory. The lightcurves gave a well-defined rotation period between 3.689 and 3.690 hours with a brightness variation between 0.12 and 0.26 magnitude ( U=n.a./3/3/3/3/2 ). [6] [7] [9] [10] [11]
During the photometric observations in December 2005, a minor-planet moon in orbit of Wirt was discovered. The binary asteroid has diameter ratio of 0.25, and the moon's orbital period is 18.97 hours. It measures approximately 1.89 kilometer in diameter. [6] [7] [10]
According to the survey carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the asteroid measures 6.66 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.19, [8] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.23 and calculates a diameter of 6.65 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 13.1. [4]
It was named after American astronomer Carl Wirtanen (1910–1990), a discoverer of minor planets and comets, who was a long-time contributor of astrometric observations at Lick Observatory. It is one of the rare cases where the asteroid had been named after its discoverer. Wirtanen is known for several surveys conducted at Lick Observatory such as the Lick proper motion program with respect to galaxies and the Shane-Wirtanen survey. [2] The official naming citation was published by the MPC on 1 January 1981 ( M.P.C. 5688). [12]
9617 Grahamchapman, provisional designation 1993 FA5, is a binary Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 2.8 kilometers in diameter.
2006 Polonskaya (provisional designation: 1973 SB3) is a stony Flora asteroid and asynchronous binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 22 September 1973, by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula, and later named after Ukrainian astronomer Elena Kazimirtchak-Polonskaïa. Its one-kilometer-sized satellite was discovered by an international collaboration of astronomers in November 2005.
3309 Brorfelde, provisional designation 1982 BH, is a nearly spheroidal, binary Hungaria asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 28 January 1982, by Danish astronomers Kaare Jensen and Karl Augustesen at the Brorfelde Observatory near Holbæk, Denmark. It was named for the discovering observatory and the village where it is located.
(9992) 1997 TG19 is a stony asteroid and eccentric Mars-crosser, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 October 1997, by Japanese astronomers Tetsuo Kagawa and Takeshi Urata at Gekko Observatory near Shizuoka, Japan.
1717 Arlon, provisional designation 1954 AC, is a binary Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8.5 kilometers in diameter.
6084 Bascom, provisional designation 1985 CT, is a binary Phocaea asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6.3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 12 February 1985, by American astronomer couple Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at Palomar Observatory in California. It is named after American geologist Florence Bascom. Its satellite measures approximately 2.3 kilometers and has an orbital period of 43.51 hours.
4029 Bridges, provisional designation 1982 KC1, is a stony asteroid and binary system from the middle regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.
29292 Conniewalker, provisional designation 1993 KZ1, is a bright, stony Phocaea asteroid and slow tumbler from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 May 1993, by American astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker and Canadian astronomer David Levy at the Palomar Observatory in California, United States.
9260 Edwardolson, provisional designation 1953 TA1, is a Florian binary asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.1 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 October 1953, by Indiana University during its Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory in Brooklyn, Indiana, United States. It was named for American astronomer Edward Olson.
5474 Gingasen, provisional designation 1988 XE1, is a Vestian asteroid and suspected binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter.
9069 Hovland, provisional designation 1993 OV, is a stony binary Hungaria asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter.
4951 Iwamoto, provisional designation 1990 BM, is a stony, synchronous binary asteroid and slow rotator from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 21 January 1990, by Japanese astronomers Yoshikane Mizuno and Toshimasa Furuta at Kani Observatory in Japan.
5481 Kiuchi, provisional designation 1990 CH, is a bright binary Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 February 1990, by Japanese astronomers Kin Endate and Kazuro Watanabe at Kitami Observatory in Hokkaidō, Japan, and named after their colleague Tsuruhiko Kiuchi. The V-type asteroid has a rotation period of 3.6 hours.
1951 Lick, provisional designation 1949 OA, is a rare-type asteroid and Mars-crosser, approximately 5.6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 July 1949, by American astronomer Carl Wirtanen at Lick Observatory on the summit of Mount Hamilton, California, and named for American philanthropist James Lick.
1830 Pogson, provisional designation 1968 HA, is a stony Florian asteroid and an asynchronous binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 April 1968, by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild at the Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland. The S-type asteroid has a rotation period 2.6 of hours. It was named for English astronomer Norman Pogson. The discovery of its 2.5-kilometer sized companion was announced in May 2007.
2195 Tengström, provisional designation 1941 SP1, is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 September 1941, by Finnish astronomer Liisi Oterma at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland, and named for Swedish geodesist Erik Tengström.
3982 Kastelʹ, provisional designation 1984 JP1, is a Florian asteroid and a suspected binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6.9 kilometers in diameter.
10208 Germanicus, provisional designation 1997 QN1, is a stony Florian asteroid and binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.5 kilometers in diameter.
15268 Wendelinefroger, provisional designation 1990 WF3, is a stony, spheroidal, and binary Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 3.4 kilometers in diameter.
(31345) 1998 PG is an eccentric, stony asteroid and binary system, classified as near-Earth object of the Amor group of asteroids, approximately 900 meters in diameter. It minor-planet moon, S/2001 (31345) 1, has an estimated diameter of 270 meters.
