| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. J. van Houten I. van Houten-G. T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 26 March 1971 |
| Designations | |
| (10660) Felixhormuth | |
Named after | Felix Hormuth[2] (discoverer of minor planets) |
| 4348 T-1 | |
| main-belt · (outer) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 45.27 yr (16,535 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.6116AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6985 AU |
| 3.1551 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1447 |
| 5.60yr (2,047 days) | |
| 115.77° | |
| 0° 10m 33.24s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.8707° |
| 40.526° | |
| 122.44° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 7.153±0.137 km[4] |
| 0.104±0.022[4] | |
| 14.1[1] | |
10660 Felixhormuth, provisional designation4348 T-1, is a backgroundasteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 March 1971, by Dutch astronomer coupleIngrid andCornelis van Houten at Leiden, on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomerTom Gehrels atPalomar Observatory in California, United States. The asteroid was named after German astronomerFelix Hormuth.[2]
Felixhormuth is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,047 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.14 and aninclination of 7° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins at Palomar with its official discovery observation in March 1971.[2]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Felixhormuth measures 7.153 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.104.[4]
As of 2017, no rotationallightcurve ofFelixhormuth has been obtained from photometric observations. The body'srotation period, pole axis and shape remain unknown.[5]
Thesurvey designation "T-1" stands for the firstPalomar–Leiden Trojan survey, named after the fruitful collaboration of the Palomar andLeiden Observatory conducted in 1971. 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]
Thisminor planet was named after German astronomerFelix Hormuth (born 1975), a prolificdiscoverer of minor planets, who worked as an instrumental developer at theCalar Alto Observatory in Spain. Hormuth is a noted supporter of theFaulkes Telescope Educational Project. The asteroid's name was proposed by astronomersLothar Kurtze andLutz Schmadel, who are themselves discoverers of minor planets. The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 2 April 2007 (M.P.C. 59385).[7]
