| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Indiana University (Indiana Asteroid Program) |
| Discovery site | Goethe Link Obs. |
| Discovery date | 12 October 1964 |
| Designations | |
| (1728) Goethe Link | |
Named after | Dr Goethe Link (observatory's founder)[2] |
| 1964 TO · 1943 OA 1952 WH · 1955 KE 1956 VD · 1964 UB 1967 JD | |
| main-belt · (middle)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 73.78 yr (26,948 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.7923AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3346 AU |
| 2.5634 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0893 |
| 4.10yr (1,499 days) | |
| 22.348° | |
| 0° 14m 24.36s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.1866° |
| 240.52° | |
| 66.733° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 14.58±0.33 km[4] 15.60 km(calculated)[3] 18.18±1.09 km[5] |
| 81±2h[6] | |
| 0.194±0.025[5] 0.20(assumed)[3] 0.251±0.032[4] | |
| S[3][7] | |
| 11.10[5] · 11.19±0.27[7] · 11.30[4] · 11.4[1][3] | |
1728 Goethe Link, provisional designation1964 TO, is a stonyasteroid and relativelyslow rotator from the central region of theasteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 12 October 1964, byIndiana University during itsIndiana Asteroid Program atGoethe Link Observatory in Brooklyn, Indiana, United States.[8] It was named after American philanthropist and founder of the discovering observatoryGoethe Link.[2]
Goethe Link orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.3–2.8 AU once every 4 years and 1 month (1,499 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.09 and aninclination of 7° with respect to theecliptic.[1]Goethe Link was first identified as1943 OA atHeidelberg Observatory in 1943, extending the body'sobservation arc by 21 years prior to its official discovery observation.[8]
Goethe Link has been characterized as a commonS-type asteroid.[3][7]
In October 2005, a rotationallightcurve ofGoethe Link was obtained by French amateur astronomerLaurent Bernasconi. It gave a longrotation period of 81 hours with a brightness variation of 0.39magnitude (U=2).[6]
According to the surveys carried out the JapaneseAkari satellite and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Goethe Link measures 14.58 and 18.18 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo of 0.194 and 0.251, respectively.[5][4] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 15.60 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 11.4.[3]
Thisminor planet was named in honor of Indianapolis surgeon and philanthropist Dr Goethe Link. He was an enthusiastic amateur astronomer and generous supporter of astronomy, who built theGoethe Link Observatory in the late 1930s and donated it toIndiana University in 1948.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 15 July 1968 (M.P.C. 2882).[9]
