| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | W. Baade |
| Discovery site | Bergedorf Obs. |
| Discovery date | 8 October 1920 |
| Designations | |
| (5656) Oldfield | |
Named after | Mike Oldfield [1] (English musician) |
| A920 TA · 1978 WW18 1981 JZ5 | |
| main-belt [1][2] · (inner) background [3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 97.29yr (35,536 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.1076AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8111 AU |
| 2.4594 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2636 |
| 3.86 yr (1,409 d) | |
| 125.66° | |
| 0° 15m 19.8s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.0144° |
| 248.67° | |
| 83.725° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 7.691±0.051 km[4] | |
| 0.075±0.009[4] | |
| 14.1[2] | |
5656 Oldfield, provisional designationA920 TA, is a backgroundasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 7.7 kilometers (4.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 8 October 1920, by astronomerWalter Baade at theBergedorf Observatory in Hamburg, Germany. The asteroid was named for English musicianMike Oldfield.[1]
Oldfield is a non-family asteroid of the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–3.1 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,409 days;semi-major axis of 2.46 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.26 and aninclination of 4° with respect to theecliptic.[2]
The body'sobservation arc begins at Bergedorf two nights after its official discovery observation.[1]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Oldfield measures 7.691 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.075.[4]
As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve ofOldfield has been obtained fromphotometric observations. The body'srotation period,poles and shape remain unknown.[2]
Thisminor planet was named after English composer and multi-instrumentalistMike Oldfield (born 1953), creator of the famedTubular Bells albums.[1] The official naming citation was proposed byGareth V. Williams and published by theMinor Planet Center on 25 April 1994 (M.P.C. 23353).[5]
