| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Indiana University (Indiana Asteroid Program) |
| Discovery site | Goethe Link Obs. |
| Discovery date | 27 July 1955 |
| Designations | |
| (1751) Herget | |
Named after | Paul Herget[2] (American astronomer) |
| 1955 OC · 1955 QO 1955 RB · 1955 SP1 1962 CC · 1969 QA | |
| main-belt · (middle) Gefion[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 61.67 yr (22,526 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.2765AU |
| Perihelion | 2.3002 AU |
| 2.7883 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1751 |
| 4.66yr (1,701 days) | |
| 78.845° | |
| Inclination | 8.1315° |
| 240.27° | |
| 130.93° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 10.929±0.248 km[4][5] 23.21 km(calculated)[6] |
| 3.937±0.001h[7] 3.9397±0.0006 h[8] | |
| 0.195±0.027[4][5] 0.057(assumed)[6] | |
| SMASS =S[1] · C[6] | |
| 11.80±0.05[7] · 11.9[1][6] · 12.06±0.41[9] · 12.2[5] | |
1751 Herget, provisional designation1955 OC, is a stony Gefionianasteroid from the central region of theasteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 27 July 1955, byIU'sIndiana Asteroid Program atGoethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States.[10] The asteroid was named after American astronomerPaul Herget.[2]
Herget is a member of the largeGefion family of asteroids (516).[3] It orbits the Sun in thecentral main-belt at a distance of 2.3–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,701 days;semi-major axis of 2.79 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.18 and aninclination of 8° with respect to theecliptic.[1] As noprecoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made, the body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Goethe Link in 1955.[10]
In theSMASS classification,Herget has been characterized as a commonS-type asteroid,[1] which agrees with the overallspectral type of theGefion family.[11]: 23
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Herget measures 10.93 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo of 0.195,[4][5] while theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo forcarbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and calculates a diameter of 23.21 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 11.9, as the lower the body's albedo (reflectivity), the larger its diameter.[6]
In November 2016, two rotationallightcurves ofHerget were obtained from photometric observations by Italian astronomers Lorenzo Franco and Alessandro Marchini, as well as by French amateur astronomerRené Roy. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 3.937 and 3.9397 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.30 and 0.31magnitude, respectively (U=3-/3).[7][8]
Thisminor planet was named in honor of American astronomerPaul Herget (1908–1981), who was director of theCincinnati Observatory and distinguished service professor in the University of Cincinnati.[2]
Herget was also founder of theMinor Planet Center (MPC) in 1947, pioneer in the application of high speed computers to astronomical problems, member of the U.S.National Academy of Sciences, and past president ofIAU's Commission 20 (Positions & Motions of Minor Planets, Comets & Satellites).[2] The officialnaming citation was published by the MPC on 20 February 1971 (M.P.C. 3143).[12]
