1798 Watts
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by |
Indiana University (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 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 81.08 yr (29614 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.4677 AU (369.16 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 1.9306 AU (288.81 Gm) |
| 2.1991 AU (328.98 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.12212 |
| 3.26 yr (1191.2 d) | |
| 315.22° | |
| 0° 18m 7.992s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.1936° |
| 44.273° | |
| 3.8502° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.93919 AU (140.501 Gm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 2.88282 AU (431.264 Gm) |
| Jupiter Tisserand parameter | 3.649 |
| 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 led 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 20 April 2016.
- 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 16 November 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "LCDB Data for (1798) Watts". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 16 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 16 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 16 November 2015.
- ↑ "1798 Watts (1949 GC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 16 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
