_Coppernicus.png) Shape model ofCoppernicus from itslightcurve | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 15 June 1934 |
| Designations | |
| (1322) Coppernicus | |
| Pronunciation | /kɒˈpɜːrnɪkəs/ |
Named after | Nicolaus Copernicus[2] (Polish astronomer) |
| 1934 LA | |
| main-belt · (inner)[3] background [4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 83.38 yr (30,455 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9898AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8547 AU |
| 2.4222 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2343 |
| 3.77yr (1,377 days) | |
| 10.211° | |
| 0° 15m 41.04s / day | |
| Inclination | 23.359° |
| 253.19° | |
| 29.379° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 9.80 km(derived)[3] 9.996±0.203 km[5] 10.04±0.34 km[6] 10.192±0.029 km[7] 10.70±0.19 km[8] |
| 3.967h[9] 5.375±0.006 h[10] | |
| 0.133±0.005[8] 0.1857±0.0429[7] 0.20(assumed)[3] 0.211±0.028[6] | |
| S(Tholen)[3] B–V = 0.887[1] U–B = 0.321[1] | |
| 12.30[1][6] · 12.41[3][7][9] · 12.70[8] · 12.75±0.31[11] | |
1322 Coppernicus, provisional designation1934 LA, is a stony backgroundasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. Discovered byKarl Reinmuth atHeidelberg Observatory in 1934, the asteroid was later named after Polish astronomerNicolaus Copernicus.[2][12]
Coppernicus was discovered on 15 June 1934, by German astronomerKarl Reinmuth at theHeidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany.[12] On the same night, it was independently discovered by Belgian astronomerEugène Delporte atUccle Observatory.[2] TheMinor Planet Center only recognizes the first discoverer.[12]
Coppernicus is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[4] It orbits the Sun in theinner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.9–3.0 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,377 days;semi-major axis of 2.42 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.23 and aninclination of 23° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins at Heidelberg/Uccle in June 1934, on the night of its official discovery observation.[12]
In theTholen classification,Coppernicus is a common, stonyS-type asteroid.[3]
Published in 1991, a first rotationallightcurve ofCoppernicus was obtained by Polish astronomerWiesław Wiśniewski. Lightcurve analysis gave a relatively shortrotation period of 3.967 hours with a brightness variation of 0.22magnitude (U=2).[9] In 2006, photometric observations by Italian astronomer Federico Manzini gave a tentative period of 5.37 and 5.375 hours with an amplitude of 0.01 and 0.04, respectively (U=1/2).[10]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Coppernicus measures between 9.996 and 10.70 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.133 and 0.211.[5][6][7][8]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and derives a diameter of 9.80 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 12.41.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after Polish astronomer and mathematicianNicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), the founder ofmodern astronomy who formulated theheliocentric model that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the Universe. The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 120). The lunar craterCopernicus as well as the Martian craterCopernicus are both named in his honor.[2] The asteroid's unusual spelling, "Coppernicus", is attributed to German biographerLeopold Prowe.[a]
