2940 Bacon
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
Palomar–Leiden survey C. J. van Houten, I. van Houten-Groeneveld and Tom Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 September 1960 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2940 Bacon |
Named after | Francis Bacon[2] |
| 3042 P–L · 1981 ER3 | |
| main-belt | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 53.69 yr (19,609 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.4380 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1274 AU |
| 2.7827 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2354 |
| 4.64 yr (1,695.5 days) | |
| 267.12° | |
| Inclination | 6.4418° |
| 273.77° | |
| 116.82° | |
| Earth MOID | 1.1428 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 14.2 | |
|
| |
2940 Bacon, also designated 3042 P–L, is an asteroid from the asteroid belt that was discovered on September 24, 1960 by Cornelis van Houten, Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld and Tom Gehrels at Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California. The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.1–3.4 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,696 days). The orbit is rather eccentric (0.24).[1]
The designation P–L stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Cornelis Johannes van Houten and Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld at Leiden Observatory. The trio are credited with several thousand asteroid discoveries.
It was named in honour of English scholar Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626).[2] He has been called the father of empiricism and his works established and popularized the scientific method.
References
- 1 2 3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2940 Bacon (3042 P-L)" (2014-06-02 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved October 2015.
- 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2940) Bacon. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 242. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7. Retrieved October 2015.
External links
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- 2940 Bacon at the JPL Small-Body Database
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