1952 Hesburgh
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| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Indiana University (Indiana Asteroid Program) |
| Discovery site | Goethe Link Obs. |
| Discovery date | 3 May 1951 |
| Designations | |
| (1952) Hesburgh | |
Named after | Theodore M. Hesburgh (University president)[2] |
| 1951 JC · 1936 ND 1939 AB · 1940 GQ 1954 XC · 1974 KQ | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 77.14 yr (28,177 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5522 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6708 AU |
| 3.1115 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1416 |
| 5.49 yr (2,005 days) | |
| 175.77° | |
| 0° 10m 46.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 14.255° |
| 78.149° | |
| 339.27° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 32.39±8.33 km[4] 35.55±1.4 km (IRAS:15)[5] 37.501±0.151 km[6] 39.660±0.381 km[7] 41.27±1.19 km[8] |
| 47.7±0.1 h[9][a] | |
| 0.078±0.005[8] 0.080±0.012[6] 0.0837±0.0130[7] 0.10±0.03[4] 0.1041±0.009 (IRAS:15)[5] | |
| Tholen = CD:[1] · CD:[3] B–V = 0.756[1] U–B = 0.340[1] | |
| 10.31±0.33[10] · 10.32[1][3][5][8][7][4] | |
1952 Hesburgh, provisional designation 1951 JC, is a rare-type carbonaceous asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 37 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 3 May 1951, by IU's Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States.[11] It was named for Father Theodore M. Hesburgh.[2]
Hesburgh orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 6 months (2,005 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 14° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first identified as 1936 ND at Johannesburg Observatory in 1936. The body's observation arc begins at Goethe, five days after its official discovery observation.[11]
Physical characteristics
Lightcurve
In March 2005, a rotational lightcurve of Hesburgh was obtained from photometric observations by American astronomer Brian Warner at his Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado. Lightcurve analysis gave a longer-than average rotation period of 47.7 hours with a brightness variation of at least 0.18 magnitude (U=2).[9][a]
Spectral type
In the Tholen taxonomy, Hesburgh is a rare CD: spectral type,[1] an intermediary between the common carbonaceous C-type asteroid and the dark D-type asteroid, which is typical among the Jupiter trojans beyond the main-belt. Another asteroid with a CD:-type is 691 Lehigh.
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Hesburgh measures between 32.39 and 41.27 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.078 and 0.1041.[4][5][6][7][8] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.1041 and a diameter of 35.55 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 10.32.[3]
Naming
This minor planet was named after American Theodore M. Hesburgh (1917–2015), a priest and president of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. He was also a member of the National Science Board and played a decisive role for the founding of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, as well as of the Chilean Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory during the 1960s.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 January 1981 (M.P.C. 5688).[12]
