| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 July 1933 |
| Designations | |
| (1726) Hoffmeister | |
Named after | Cuno Hoffmeister (German astronomer)[2] |
| 1933 OE · 1955 FC 1955 HX · 1957 WD A924 UA | |
| main-belt · (middle) Hoffmeister[3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 91.85 yr (33,547 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9051AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6702 AU |
| 2.7877 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0421 |
| 4.65yr (1,700 days) | |
| 42.063° | |
| 0° 12m 42.48s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.4833° |
| 230.97° | |
| 69.026° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 17.35 km(calculated)[5] 22.03±5.39[6] 22.52±0.23 km[7] 24.61±0.52[8] 25.250±0.079 km[9] 25.438±0.118 km[10] 25.67±8.37[11] |
| 11.7058±0.0056h[12] | |
| 0.03±0.03[11] 0.0360±0.0066[10] 0.037±0.005[9] 0.042±0.006[7] 0.044±0.002[8] 0.05±0.05[6] 0.057(assumed)[5] | |
| SMASS = Cb[1] · C[5][13] | |
| 12.082±0.002(R)[12] · 12.10[8] · 12.26[11] · 12.2[10] · 12.3[1][6][7] · 12.53[5] · 12.54±0.24[13] | |
1726 Hoffmeister, provisional designation1933 OE, is a carbonaceousasteroid and namesake of theHoffmeister family from the central region of theasteroid belt, approximately 23 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 24 July 1933, by German astronomerKarl Reinmuth atHeidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany, and named after astronomerCuno Hoffmeister.[14]
Hoffmeister is the namesake and lowest-numbered member of the very compactHoffmeister family (519), which, based upon its low albedo, was most likely formed from the breakup of a 50–100 kilometer-sized, carbon-richparent body within the past several hundred million years.[3][4]
It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.7–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,700 days;semi-major axis of 2.79 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.04 and aninclination of 3° with respect to theecliptic.[1] It was first identified as1924 UA at theYerkes Observatory in 1924, extending the asteroid'sobservation arc by 9 years prior to its official discovery observation at Heidelberg.[14]
In theSMASS classification,Hoffmeister is characterized as a Cb-type, a subtype of the carbonaceousC-complex.[1][13]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Hoffmeister measures between 22.03 and 25.67 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has a lowalbedo between 0.03 and 0.05.[6][7][8][9][10][11] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 17.4 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 12.53.[5]
In December 2009, a rotationallightcurve ofHoffmeister was obtained from photometric observations by astronomers at thePalomar Transient Factory in California. It gave arotation period of11.7058±0.0056 hours with a brightness variation of 0.40magnitude (U=2).[12]
Thisminor planet was named in memory of German astronomerCuno Hoffmeister (1892–1968), who founded theSonneberg Observatory in 1925, and became one of its directors(see1039 Sonneberga). Hoffmeister discovered thousands ofvariable stars, co-discovered cometC/1959 O1, thoroughly investigated a large number ofmeteors, and discovered 5 minor planets:2183 Neufang,3203 Huth,3674 Erbisbühl,4183 Cuno (which was later named after him) and4724 Brocken. The lunar craterHoffmeister was also named in his honor.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 20 February 1976 (M.P.C. 3933).[15]
