 Orbit ofGaussia (blue) compared to those of theinner planets andJupiter (outermost) | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. Belyavskyj |
| Discovery site | Simeiz Obs. |
| Discovery date | 8 August 1923 |
| Designations | |
| (1001) Gaussia | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡaʊsiə/[2] |
Named after | Carl Friedrich Gauss (German mathematician)[3] |
| 1923 OA · A907 XC A911 MD | |
| main-belt · (outer)[1][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 109.33 yr (39,933 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.6150AU |
| Perihelion | 2.8046 AU |
| 3.2098 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1262 |
| 5.75yr (2,100 days) | |
| 121.11° | |
| 0° 10m 17.04s / day | |
| Inclination | 9.2958° |
| 259.32° | |
| 142.51° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 67.80±19.69 km[5] 68.51±21.78 km[6] 72.422±1.517 km[7] 72.711±0.298 km[8] 74.67±3.8 km[9] 74.71 km(derived)[4] 75.40±0.99 km[10] 80.07±0.68 km[11] |
| 4.08±0.05h[12] 9.17±0.01 h[13] 20.99±0.01 h[a] | |
| 0.036±0.007[11] 0.039±0.001[10] 0.0392±0.004[9] 0.041±0.004[8] 0.0416±0.0054[7] 0.0417(derived)[4] 0.05±0.03[5] 0.05±0.04[6] | |
| Tholen = PC[1][4] B–V = 0.689[1] U–B = 0.265[1] | |
| 9.70[4][5][11] · 9.72[6] · 9.77[7][9][10] · 9.8[1] · 9.91±0.26[14] | |
Gaussia (minor planet designation:1001 Gaussia), provisional designation1923 OA, is a dark backgroundasteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 73 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 August 1923, by Soviet astronomerSergey Belyavsky at theSimeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula.[15] The asteroid was named after German mathematicianCarl Friedrich Gauss.[3] Gauss computed the orbit of Ceres, and 1001 Gaussia was named along with1000 Piazzia, and1002 Olbersia in part for their work onCeres, with names forGiuseppe Piazzi, who found Ceres, andHeinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, who recovered it later that year.[16]
Gaussia is a background asteroid that does not belong to any knownasteroid family. It orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.8–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,100 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.13 and aninclination of 9° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The asteroid was first identified asA907 XC at Taunton Observatory (803) in December 1907. The body'sobservation arc begins atUNSO in January 1908, more than 15 years prior to its official discovery observation at Simeiz.[15]
In theTholen classification,Gaussia has an ambiguousspectral type. Its type is closest to the primitiveP-type asteroids, followed by the common carbonaceousC-type asteroids.[1][4]
In November 2005, a rotationallightcurve ofGaussia was obtained from photometric observations. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-definedrotation period of 20.99 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.11magnitude (U=3).[a]
Lower-rated lightcurves with a divergent period of 4.08 and 9.17 hours were previously obtained in 2005 and 2009, respectively (U=1/2-).[12][13]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Gaussia measures between 67.80 and 80.07 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.036 and 0.05.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0417 and a diameter of 74.71 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 9.7.[4]
Thisminor planet was named by Swedish astronomer Bror Ansgar Asplind afterCarl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855), German mathematician and director of the Göttingen Observatory (528), who also rediscoveredCeres using a new orbital computing method byFranz Xaver von Zach.[3]
The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 96). He is also honored by the lunar craterGauss.[3]
1001 Gaussia was named as part of trio honoring the events surrounding the discovery of Ceres in 1801.[17] Carl Friedrich Gauss who computed the orbit of Ceres was for 1001 Gaussia,1000 Piazzia forGiuseppe Piazzi and1002 Olbersia forHeinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers.[17] Olbers recovered Ceres after it has passed behind the Sun and returned.[17] In the next few years only three more astronomical bodies were found between Mars and Jupiter,Pallas,Juno, and4 Vesta, however it would be 37 years before another asteroid was found,5 Astraea in 1845.[17]
