4148 McCartney
Main-belt asteroid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
4148 McCartney, also known as 1935 EH, is a stony medium-sized S-type asteroid located in the asteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter.[1][2][3] The asteroid was discovered on March 7, 1935, using the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory by German astronomer, Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth, and the asteroid was named after British musician Paul McCartney.[1][2]
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory |
| Discovery date | 1935-03-07 |
| Designations | |
| 4148 | |
Named after | Paul McCartney (bassist, keyboardist, The Beatles) |
| 1935 EH, 1952 HT1, 1983 NT, & 1984 YM1 | |
| main-belt · Flora | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5) | |
| Observation arc | 91.08 yr (33,243 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.463 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.026 AU |
| 2.245 | |
| Eccentricity | 0.097 |
| 3.36 yr (1,226 days) | |
| 331.63° | |
| 0.293° / day | |
| Inclination | 5.201° |
| 325.5867° | |
| Known satellites | 0 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7.25 km |
| 20.737 h | |
| 0.15 | |
| S | |
| 12.97 | |
Orbit and classification
McCartney is a member of the Flora family, which is a large family of S-type asteroids that has over 13,000 known members.[4] The asteroid orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a semi-major axis of 2.24 astronomical units once every 3.36 years.[1][2] The asteroid's orbit has an eccentricity of 0.097, and an inclination of 5.2 degrees.[1][2] The asteroid has a perihelion of 2.03 astronomical units, and it has a aphelion of 2.46 astronomical units.[1][2]
Physical characteristics
Diameter and Albedo
According to the NEOWISE survey using NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope, McCartney has a diameter of 7.25 kilometers.[4] The asteroid has a albedo of 0.15, therefore it is likely darker in color, and it has a H magnitude of 12.97.[4] Although other sources like the Asteroid Lightcurve Database suggests a larger diameter of 7.89 kilometers, and a higher albedo of 0.2.[3]
Rotation period
According to the Asteroid Lightcurve Database, the asteroid McCartney has a rotational period of 20.737 hours.[3]
Naming
The asteroid was named in honor of bassist, keyboardist, singer, and songwriter, Paul McCartney (born 1942), who played the bass and guitar in the British rock band The Beatles.[1] The minor planets 8749 Beatles, 4147 Lennon, 4149 Harrison, and 4150 Starr honor the band and the other members of The Beatles. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on April 10, 1990 (M.P.C. 16248).[5]
