961 Gunnie
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_Gunnie.png) Modelled shape of Gunnie from its lightcurve | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 10 October 1921 |
| Designations | |
| (961) Gunnie | |
Named after |
|
| A921 TH · 1930 XT 1968 HO · 1921 KM | |
| main-belt[1][3] · (middle) background[4][5] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 98.23 yr (35,880 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.9391 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4485 AU |
| 2.6938 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0911 |
| 4.42 yr (1,615 d) | |
| 181.91° | |
| 0° 13m 22.44s / day | |
| Inclination | 10.991° |
| 26.616° | |
| 285.28° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 21.361±0.002 h[9] | |
Pole ecliptic latitude | |
| 11.5[1][3] | |
961 Gunnie (prov. designation: A921 TH or 1921 KM) is a very dark background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 37 kilometers (23 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 10 October 1921, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory.[1] The C/X-type asteroid has a rotation period of 21.4 hours. It was named after Gunnie Asplind, daughter of Swedish astronomer Bror Asplind (1890–1954).[2]
Gunnie is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population when applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements.[4][5] It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.4–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,615 days; semi-major axis of 2.69 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.[3] The body's observation arc begins at the South African Johannesburg Observatory in June 1951, or 30 years after its official discovery observation at Heidelberg Observatory.[1]
Naming
This minor planet was named after Gunnie Asplind, daughter of Swedish astronomer Bror Ansgar Asplind (1890–1954). Asteroids 958 Asplinda, 959 Arne and 960 Birgit are named after him and his other two children, respectively. The naming was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 92).[2]
