1798 Watts
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Indiana Asteroid Program |
| Discovery site | Goethe Link Obs. |
| Discovery date | 4 April 1949 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 1798 Watts |
Named after |
Chester Watts (astronomer)[2] |
|
1949 GC · 1934 VS 1937 RL · 1970 YB 1973 UD6 | |
| main-belt · Flora [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 80.90 yr (29,547 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.4678 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9304 AU |
| 2.1991 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1221 |
| 3.26 yr (1,191 days) | |
| 254.76° | |
| Inclination | 6.1935° |
| 44.277° | |
| 3.8608° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.9406 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions |
6.986±0.060 km[4] 6.45±0.28 km[5] 7.14 km (calculated)[3] |
|
0.2765±0.0258[4] 0.294±0.053[5] 0.24 (assumed)[3] | |
|
SMASS = S S [3] | |
| 12.9 | |
|
| |
1798 Watts, provisional designation 1949 GC, is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Indiana Asteroid Program at the U.S Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, on 4 April 1949.[6]
The asteroid is a member of the Flora family, a large group of stony S-type asteroids in the inner main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.9–2.5 AU once every 3.26 years (1,191 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.12 and is tilted by 6 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. It has an unknown rotation period and an albedo of about 0.27, as measured by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and subsequent NEOWISE mission.[4][5]
The minor planet was named in honour of American astronomer Chester Burleigh Watts (1889–1971), a graduate of Indiana University. He worked at the United States Naval Observatory for 44 years, making distinguished contributions in the field of positional astronomy and pioneered in the field of automation of transit circle observations, which lead to results of the highest systematic accuracy. From the late 1940 until 1963 he meticulously mapped every feature on the marginal zone of the Moon.[2]
References
- 1 2 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1798 Watts (1949 GC)" (2015-10-08 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved November 2015.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1798) Watts. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 144. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved November 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "LCDB Data for (1798) Watts". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved November 2015.
- 1 2 3 Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved November 2015.
- 1 2 3 Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; Cabrera, M. S. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. Retrieved November 2015.
- ↑ "1798 Watts (1949 GC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved November 2015.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 1798 Watts at the JPL Small-Body Database
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