1961 Dufour
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_Dufour.png) Modelled shape of Dufour from its lightcurve | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | P. Wild |
| Discovery site | Zimmerwald Obs. |
| Discovery date | 19 November 1973 |
| Designations | |
| (1961) Dufour | |
Named after | Henri Dufour (Swiss General)[2] |
| 1973 WA · 1927 UM 1952 BQ1 · 1962 YG 1969 AH · 1973 SY3 | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 54.20 yr (19,798 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5879 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.7949 AU |
| 3.1914 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1242 |
| 5.70 yr (2,082 days) | |
| 187.01° | |
| 0° 10m 22.44s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.6497° |
| 29.581° | |
| 57.015° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 50.25 km (derived)[3] 50.31±1.6 km (IRAS:20)[4] 51.15±0.98 km[5] | |
| 15.7583±0.0309 h[6] 15.79±0.01 h[7] | |
| 0.0335 (derived)[3] 0.039±0.002[5] 0.0402±0.003 (IRAS:20)[4] | |
| C[3] | |
| 10.60[5] · 10.7[1] · 10.761±0.002 (R)[6] · 10.8[3] | |
1961 Dufour (prov. designation: 1973 WA) is a large background asteroid, approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) in diameter, located in the outer region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 19 November 1973, by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild at Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland, and later named for 19th-century Swiss General Henri Dufour.[2][8]
Dufour is a dark C-type asteroid, that orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.8–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,082 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 7° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It was first identified as 1927 UM at Simeiz Observatory in 1927. The body's observation arc begins 21 years prior to its official discovery at Zimmerwald, when it was identified as 1952 BQ1 at McDonald Observatory in 1952.[8]
Naming
This minor planet is named after Swiss General Henri Dufour (1787–1875), who lead the Swiss forces to victory against the renegade catholic cantons in the Sonderbund War of November 1847. The war claimed fewer than a 100 casualties.
Dufour was also a co-founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, founder of the Swiss Federal Office of Topography and architect of the first complete geodetic survey of Switzerland.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 18 April 1977 (M.P.C. 4157).[9] The "Dufourspitze", the Alp's second-highest mountain after the Mont Blanc, was also named in his honour.
