| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Indiana University (Indiana Asteroid Program) |
| Discovery site | Goethe Link Obs. |
| Discovery date | 9 September 1953 |
| Designations | |
| (4045) Lowengrub | |
Named after | Morton Lowengrub [2] (American mathematician) |
| 1953 RG · 1948 VE 1953 RM · 1959 TT 1961 AJ | |
| main-belt · (outer) [3] Alauda [4] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 68.89 yr (25,163 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.5607AU |
| Perihelion | 2.9011 AU |
| 3.2309 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1021 |
| 5.81yr (2,121 days) | |
| 284.41° | |
| 0° 10m 10.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 21.328° |
| 224.29° | |
| 245.47° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 29.61±0.64 km[5] 31.322±0.337 km[6] 32.369±0.319 km[7] 32.78 km(derived)[3] 37.07±1.16 km[8] |
| 9.764h[9] | |
| 0.051±0.007[8] 0.057(assumed)[3] 0.0614±0.0103[6] 0.062±0.003[5] | |
| C(assumed)[3] | |
| 11.00[8] · 11.17[3][6][9] · 11.2[1] · 11.30[5] | |
4045 Lowengrub, provisional designation1953 RG, is a dark Alaudaasteroid from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 32 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 September 1953, by astronomers during theIndiana Asteroid Program atGoethe Link Observatory in Brooklyn, Indiana, United States.[10] The asteroid was named after American mathematicianMorton Lowengrub, dean atIndiana University and one of the fathers of theWIYN Observatory.[2]
Lowengrub is a member of theAlauda family (902),[4] a largefamily of carbonaceous asteroids and named after itsparent body,702 Alauda.[11]: 23
It orbits the Sun in theoutermost main-belt at a distance of 2.9–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 10 months (2,121 days;semi-major axis of 3.23 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.10 and aninclination of 21° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The body'sobservation arc begins with its first identification as1948 VE atUccle Observatory in November 1948, almost five years prior to its official discovery observation at Goethe.[10]
Lowengrub is an assumedC-type asteroid.[3]
A rotationallightcurve ofLowengrub was reported in 1996 and obtained fromphotometric observations by group of French astronomers in the early 1990s. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-definedrotation period of 9.764 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.40magnitude (U=3).[9]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Lowengrub measures between 29.61 and 37.07 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.051 and 0.062.[5][6][7][8]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and derives a diameter of 32.78 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 11.17.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after American mathematician Morton Lowengrub, dean, professor and administrator atIndiana University. The naming took place on the occasion of the completion of theWIYN Observatory with its 3.5-meter telescope atKitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Lowengrub was instrumental for the planning and construction of the WIYN and was a charter member of the WIYN Board of Governors[2]
Lowengrub has authored several books on mathematics including "Crack problems in the classical theory of elasticity" (1969) together with Scottish mathematicianIan Sneddon. The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 14 May 1995 (M.P.C. 25229).[12]
