| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. J. van Houten I. van Houten-G. T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 September 1960 |
| Designations | |
| (1776) Kuiper | |
Named after | Gerard Kuiper[2] (Dutch astronomer) |
| 2520 P-L · 1930 EB 1931 KK · 1938 SU 1952 DQ2 · 1963 FJ | |
| main-belt · (outer) Eos[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 87.08 yr (31,805 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1442AU |
| Perihelion | 3.0618 AU |
| 3.1030 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0133 |
| 5.47yr (1,996 days) | |
| 36.958° | |
| 0° 10m 49.08s / day | |
| Inclination | 9.4929° |
| 176.68° | |
| 306.29° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 35.96±1.6 km(IRAS:9)[4] 39.952±0.432[5] |
| 0.033±0.005[5] 0.0544±0.005(IRAS:9)[4] | |
| 11.3[1] | |
1776 Kuiper, provisional designation2520 P-L, is a dark Eoanasteroid from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 38 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer coupleIngrid andCornelis van Houten in collaboration with Dutch–American astronomerTom Gehrels at the U.S.Palomar Observatory in California, and named after Dutch astronomerGerard Kuiper.[2][6]
Kuiper is a member of theEos family (606), the largestasteroid family in the outer main belt consisting of nearly 10,000 asteroids.[3][7]: 23 It orbits the Sun in theouter asteroid belt at a distance of 3.1–3.1 AU once every 5 years and 6 months (1,996 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.01 and aninclination of 9° with respect to theecliptic.[1]Kuiper was first identified as1930 EB atHeidelberg Observatory in 1930, extending itsobservation arc by 30 years prior to its official discovery observation.[6]
Thesurvey designation "P-L" stands forPalomar–Leiden, named after Palomar andLeiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitfulPalomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar'sSamuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped thephotographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory whereastrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.[8]
According to the surveys carried out byIRAS andNASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Kuiper measures 36.0 and 40.0 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has a lowalbedo of 0.033 and 0.054, respectively.[4][5] Typical value forC-,D- orP-type asteroids in the outer main-belt. However, as of 2017,Kuiper's composition, as well as itsrotation period and shape remain unknown.[9]
Thisminor planet is named after Dutch–American astronomerGerard Kuiper (1905–1973), initiator of the Palomar-Leiden survey. He was a well-known authority in the field of planetary science and director at theLunar and Planetary Laboratory and atYerkes Observatory. He discoveredMiranda andNereid, satellites of Uranus and Neptune, respectively.[2]
The third zone of the Solar System, theKuiper belt, is named after him. Also, the Mercurian craterKuiper, the Martian craterKuiper and the lunar craterKuiper all bear his name.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 25 September 1971 (M.P.C. 3185).[10]
