 Orbit ofEschenbach (blue), with theinner planets andJupiter (outermost) | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. J. van Houten I. van Houten-G. T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 26 March 1971 |
| Designations | |
| (9909) Eschenbach | |
Named after | Wolfram von Eschenbach (medieval knight and poet)[2] |
| 4355 T-1 · 1969 VD2 1994 RW4 | |
| main-belt[1][3] · (inner) Flora | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 47.47 yr (17,337 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.7334AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9620 AU |
| 2.3477 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1643 |
| 3.60yr (1,314 days) | |
| 120.54° | |
| 0° 16m 26.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.3236° |
| 147.17° | |
| 240.25° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 3.404±0.127 km[4] 23.4 km[5] |
| 0.460±0.051[4] | |
| 13.8[1] | |
9909 Eschenbach, provisional designation4355 T-1, is a Florianasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, roughly 10 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 26 March 1971, by Dutch astronomer coupleIngrid andCornelis van Houten, as well as Dutch–American astronomerTom Gehrels. The asteroid was spotted during thePalomar–Leiden survey by examining photographic plates taken atPalomar Observatory, California, United States.[3] It was named after medieval knight and poetWolfram von Eschenbach.[2]
Eschenbach is a member of theFlora family. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,314 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.16 and aninclination of 4° with respect to theecliptic.[1] It was first identified as1969 VD2 atCrimea-Nauchnij in 1969, extending the body'sobservation arc by 2 years prior to its official discovery observation at Palomar.[3]
Thesurvey designation "T-1" stands for the firstPalomar–Leiden Trojan survey, named after the fruitful collaboration of the Palomar andLeiden Observatory in the 1960s and 1970s. Gehrels used Palomar'sSamuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped thephotographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory whereastrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.[6]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Eschenbach measures 23.4 and 3.404 kilometers in diameter, respectively.[4][5] NEOWISE also finds an exceptionally highalbedo of 0.460 for the body's surface.[4] It has anabsolute magnitude of 13.8[1]
As of 2017, the asteroid'srotation period and shape remain unknown.[1][7]
Thisminor planet was named after German medieval knight and poetWolfram von Eschenbach (1168–1220) one of the greatest poets of his time along withGottfried von Strassburg andHartmann von Aue(also see9908 Aue). Wolfram von Eschenbach is known for his epicParzival and for two other narrative works: the fragmentaryTiturel and the unfinishedWillehalm.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 2 April 1999 (M.P.C. 34356).[8]
