| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. Itzigsohn |
| Discovery site | La Plata Obs. |
| Discovery date | 3 March 1951 |
| Designations | |
| (1688) Wilkens | |
Named after | Alexander Wilkens (German astronomer)[2] |
| 1951 EQ1 · 1964 JC | |
| main-belt · (middle)[3] Mitidika[4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 66.05 yr (24,123 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.2511AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9834 AU |
| 2.6173 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2422 |
| 4.23yr (1,547 days) | |
| 158.97° | |
| 0° 13m 58.08s / day | |
| Inclination | 11.763° |
| 245.77° | |
| 42.399° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 12.12 km(calculated)[3] 16.239±0.118 km[5][6] 16.82±0.29 km[7] |
| 7.248±0.001h[8] 7.3017±0.0676 h[9] | |
| 0.044±0.005[5][6] 0.066±0.003[7] 0.10(assumed)[3] | |
| S(assumed)[3] | |
| 12.50[7] · 12.7[1][3][5] · 12.91±0.45[10] · 12.953±0.002(S)[9] | |
1688 Wilkens, provisional designation1951 EQ1, is a Mitidikaasteroid from the central region of theasteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 March 1951, by Argentine astronomerMiguel Itzigsohn atLa Plata Observatory in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and named after astronomerAlexander Wilkens.[11]
Wilkens has been identified as a member of theMitidika family, a dispersedasteroid family of typically carbonaceousC-type asteroids. The family is named after2262 Mitidika (diameter of 9 km) and consists of 653 known members, the largest ones being404 Arsinoë (95 km) and5079 Brubeck (17 km).[4][12]: 23
It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.0–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,547 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.24 and aninclination of 12° with respect to theecliptic.[1] As noprecoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made,Wilkens'observation arc begins with its official discovery observation in 1951.[11]
In July 2007, astronomer Lorenzo Franco obtained a rotationallightcurve ofWilkens at the Balzaretto Observatory (A81) near Rome, Italy. It gave a well-defined period of 7.248 hours and a brightness variation of 0.23magnitude (U=3).[8] Photometric observations in the S-band at thePalomar Transient Factory in January 2014, gave a period of 7.3017 hours with an amplitude of 0.34 (U=2).[9]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Wilkens measures 16.23 and 16.82 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo of 0.044 and 0.066, respectively.[5][6][7] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.10 and calculates a diameter of 12.12 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 12.7.[3]
Thisminor planet was named for German astronomer Alexander Wilkens (1881–1968), researcher in many branches of astronomy, most notably celestial mechanics. After having worked for many years in Germany, he trained two generations ofcelestial mechanicians at the discovering La Plata Observatory before returning to his native country.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 1 August 1980 (M.P.C. 5449).[13]
