| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 25 January 1933 |
| Designations | |
| (1250) Galanthus | |
| Pronunciation | /ɡəˈlænθəs/[2] |
Named after | Galanthus (snowdrop) (herbaceous plants)[3] |
| 1933 BD · 1971 OQ | |
| main-belt · (middle) background[4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 84.84 yr (30,987 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.2465AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8560 AU |
| 2.5513 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2725 |
| 4.08yr (1,488 days) | |
| 249.60° | |
| 0° 14m 30.84s / day | |
| Inclination | 15.169° |
| 292.02° | |
| 217.17° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 17.18±5.39 km[5] 19.394±0.152 km[6] 19.54±0.36 km[7] 20.062±0.112 km[8] 20.33±4.93 km[9] 21.00±2.9 km[10] |
| 3.918±0.0009h[11] 3.92 h[12] | |
| 0.04±0.02[9] 0.0443±0.0069[6] 0.0500±0.017[10] 0.055±0.011[8] 0.058±0.002[7] 0.06±0.04[5] | |
| C(assumed)[13] | |
| 12.233±0.001(R)[11] · 12.26[1][5][6][7][10][13] · 12.52[9] | |
1250 Galanthus, provisional designation1933 BD, is a dark backgroundasteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 25 January 1933, by German astronomerKarl Reinmuth at theHeidelberg Observatory.[14] The asteroid was named for the herbaceous plantGalanthus, also known as "snowdrop".[3]
Galanthus is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[4] It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 1.9–3.2 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,488 days;semi-major axis of 2.55 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.27 and aninclination of 15° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins at Heidelberg the night after its official discovery observation.[14]
Galanthus is an assumed carbonaceousC-type asteroid.[13]
In the early 1980s, a rotationallightcurve ofGalanthus was obtained during a survey conducted byRichard P. Binzel at theMcDonald Observatory, Texas. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-definedrotation period of 3.92 hours with a brightness variation of 0.28magnitude (U=3).[12] The period was confirmed from photometric observations by astronomers at thePalomar Transient Factory in October 2015, which gave a similar period of 3.918 hours and an amplitude of 0.22 magnitude (U=2).[11]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Galanthus measures between 17.18 and 21.00 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.04 and 0.06.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.0500 and a diameter of 21.0 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 12.26.[13]
Thisminor planet was named after the herbaceous plantGalanthus, also known as "snowdrop".[3] The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 115).[3]
Due to his many discoveries,Karl Reinmuth submitted a large list of 66 newly named asteroids in the early 1930s. The list covered his discoveries with numbers between(1009) and(1200). This list also contained a sequence of 28 asteroids, starting with1054 Forsytia, that were all named after plants, in particularflowering plants(also see list of minor planets named after animals and plants).[15]
