| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. Delporte |
| Discovery site | Uccle Obs. |
| Discovery date | 4 February 1932 |
| Designations | |
| (1239) Queteleta | |
| Pronunciation | kətlɛta |
Named after | Adolphe Quetelet[2] (Belgian astronomer) |
| 1932 CB · 1978 TH3 | |
| main-belt · (middle) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 85.80 yr (31,340d) |
| Aphelion | 3.2824AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0383 AU |
| 2.6603 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2338 |
| 4.34yr (1,585 days) | |
| 271.62° | |
| 0° 13m 37.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.6619° |
| 73.160° | |
| 35.475° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 15.94±1.8 km[4] 18.032±0.076 km[5] |
| 0.051±0.013[5] 0.0695±0.019[4] | |
| 12.4[1] · 12.5[4] | |
1239 Queteleta (kətlɛta), provisional designation1932 CB, is a dark backgroundasteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 February 1932, by Belgian astronomerEugène Delporte at theRoyal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle.[6] The asteroid was named afterAdolphe Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer and mathematician.[2]
Queteleta was discovered on 4 February 1932, by Belgian astronomerEugène Delporte at theRoyal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle.[6] It was independently discovered byLouis Boyer atAlgiers Observatory, Algeria, on the same night and byGeorge Van Biesbroeck atYerkes Observatory, United States, on 13 February 1932.[2] TheMinor Planet Center only recognizes the first mentioned discoverer.[6]
Queteleta is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[3] It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.0–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,585 days;semi-major axis of 2.66 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.23 and aninclination of 2° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins at with its official discovery observation at Uccle in 1932.[6]
The asteroid'sspectral type has not been determined,[1] but its low albedo(see below) is typical for that of a carbonaceousC-type asteroid.
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Queteleta measures 15.94 and 18.032 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.0695 and 0.051, respectively.[4][5]
As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve ofQueteleta has been obtained from photometric observations. The asteroid'srotation period, shape andpoles remain unknown.[1][7]
Thisminor planet was named after Belgian astronomer and mathematicianAdolphe Quetelet (1796–1874), whose research also encompassed several other scientific disciplines such as statistics, demography, sociology, criminology and the history of science. The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 114). He was also honored by the lunar craterQuetelet.[2]
