| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. W. Elst |
| Discovery site | La Silla Obs. |
| Discovery date | 2 December 1989 |
| Designations | |
| (4804) Pasteur | |
Named after | Louis Pasteur[2] (French chemist/biologist) |
| 1989 XC1 · 1962 QB 1971 QJ1 | |
| main-belt · (middle)[3] background[4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 61.05 yr (22,298 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.0075AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3739 AU |
| 2.6907 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1177 |
| 4.41yr (1,612 days) | |
| 130.06° | |
| 0° 13m 23.88s / day | |
| Inclination | 8.6298° |
| 103.55° | |
| 271.14° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 15.427±0.310 km[5][6] 15.98 km(calculated)[3] 16.94±0.66 km[7] 21.29±0.11 km[8] 21.38±0.40 km[9] |
| 13.69±0.02h[10] | |
| 0.05±0.00[8] 0.089±0.004[9] 0.098±0.025[7] 0.10(assumed)[3] 0.129±0.020[5][6] | |
| SMASS =C[1] · C[11] C(SDSS–MFB)[3] | |
| 11.60[9] · 11.9[6] · 12.00[7] · 12.07±0.23[11] · 12.1[1][3] · 12.16[8] | |
4804 Pasteur, provisional designation1989 XC1, is a carbonaceous backgroundasteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 2 December 1989, by Belgian astronomerEric Elst at theESO'sLa Silla Observatory in Chile. The asteroid was named after French chemist and microbiologistLouis Pasteur.[2]
Pasteur is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[4] It orbits the Sun in theintermediate asteroid belt at a distance of 2.4–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 5 months (1,612 days;semi-major axis of 2.69 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.12 and aninclination of 9° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The body'sobservation arc begins with aprecovery taken atPalomar Observatory in March 1956, more than 33 years prior to its official discovery observation.[2]
In theSMASS classification,Pasteur is aC-type asteroid.[1]Pan-STARRS photometric survey andSDSS–MFB (Masi–Foglia–Bus) have also characterized the body as a carbonaceous C-type.[3][11]
In November 2011, a rotationallightcurve ofPasteur was obtained from photometric observations by astronomers at theOakley Southern Sky Observatory in Australia. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-definedrotation period of 13.69 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.28magnitude (U=3).[10]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Pasteur measures between 15.427 and 21.38 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.05 and 0.1290.[5][6][7][8][9]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.10 and calculates a diameter of 15.98 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 12.1.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after French chemist and microbiologistLouis Pasteur (1822–1895), who discovered the principles ofvaccination,fermentation andpasteurization. In 1888 the renownedPasteur Institute was established in Paris.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 21 November 1991 (M.P.C. 19340).[12] The lunar craterPasteur, as well as the Martian craterPasteur have also been named after him.[13][14]
