| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 11 October 1937 |
| Designations | |
| (1650) Heckmann | |
Named after | Otto Heckmann(astronomer)[2] |
| 1937 TG · 1929 SK 1940 NB · 1941 UA1 1943 DG · 1944 OC 1947 FA · 1951 GX 1952 SL1 · 1963 PB A906 OC · A909 DF | |
| main-belt · Nysa[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 110.26 yr (40,273 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.8319AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0396 AU |
| 2.4358 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1626 |
| 3.80yr (1,389 days) | |
| 117.54° | |
| 0° 15m 33.48s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.7500° |
| 199.76° | |
| 56.942° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 24.93±6.53 km[4] 26.69±6.13 km[5] 29.07±1.4 km(IRAS:6)[6] 30.202±0.297 km[7] 35.15±1.66 km[8] |
| 12.05±0.05h[9] 14.893±0.005 h[10] 14.9042±0.0154 h[11] | |
| 0.034±0.004[8] 0.046±0.007[7] 0.0497±0.005(IRAS:6)[6] 0.05±0.03[5] 0.06±0.03[4] | |
| B–V = 0.638[1] U–B = 0.200[1] Tholen =F[1] · F[3] | |
| 11.284±0.001(R)[11] · 11.40±0.25[12] · 11.56[1][3][5][6][7][8] · 11.61[4] | |
1650 Heckmann, provisional designation1937 TG, is a rare-type Nysianasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 29 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 11 October 1937, by German astronomerKarl Reinmuth atHeidelberg Observatory in southern Germany, and later named after astronomerOtto Heckmann.[2][13]
Heckmann is a member of the Polanian subgroup of theNysa family of asteroids and shows a rareF-type spectrum in theTholen classification scheme. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,389 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.16 and aninclination of 3° with respect to theecliptic.[1]Heckmann was first identified asA906 OC at the discovering observatory in 1906. Its first used observation was taken at Heidelberg in 1909, when it was identified asA909 DF, extending the body'sobservation arc by 28 years prior to its official discovery observation.[13]
French amateur astronomerRené Roy obtained the first rotationallightcurve ofHeckmann in September 2005. It gave arotation period of 12.05 hours with a brightness variation of 0.06 inmagnitude (U=2).[9] A more refined lightcurve with a period of 14.893 hours and an amplitude of 0.16 magnitude was obtained by Australian amateur astronomerDavid Higgins at the Hunters Hill Observatory and collaborating stations in March 2008 (U=3).[10] In September 2013, photometric observations at thePalomar Transient Factory, California, gave a low rated lightcurve with a similar period of 14.9042 hours (Δ 0.09 mag;U=1).[11]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite, and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Heckmann measures between 24.93 and 35.15 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo between 0.034 and 0.06.[4][5][6][7][8] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link agrees with the results obtained by IRAS, that is an albedo of 0.0497 and a diameter of 29.07 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 11.56.[3]
Thisminor planet was named in honor of German astronomerOtto Heckmann (1901–1983), director of the Bergedorf Observatory in Hamburg, president of theInternational Astronomical Union (1967–1970) and the first director of ESO, theEuropean Southern Observatory, which foundation had been initiated by him. He was active in the fields ofcosmology and several aspects of fundamental astronomy.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 20 February 1976 (M.P.C. 3932).[14]
