| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 23 March 1942 |
| Designations | |
| (1850) Kohoutek | |
Named after | Luboš Kohoutek(astronomer)[2] |
| 1942 EN · 1949 KD 1953 SH · 1959 GR 1965 AQ | |
| main-belt · Flora[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 75.20 yr (27,468 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5338AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9679 AU |
| 2.2508 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1257 |
| 3.38yr (1,233 days) | |
| 63.537° | |
| 0° 17m 30.84s / day | |
| Inclination | 4.0510° |
| 68.923° | |
| 190.65° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 5.91±0.24 km[4] 6.05 km(calculated)[3] 7.642±0.086 km[5][6] |
| 3.68±0.01h[7] | |
| 0.181±0.018[5][6] 0.24(assumed)[3] 0.383±0.127[4] | |
| S[3] | |
| 12.8[4][5] · 12.81±0.09(R)[7] · 12.9[1] · 13.26[3] | |
1850 Kohoutek, provisional designation1942 EN, is a stony Florianasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was named after Czech astronomerLuboš Kohoutek.[2]
Kohoutek was discovered during World War II on 23 March 1942, by German astronomerKarl Reinmuth atHeidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany,[8] Ten days prior to its discovery, the body was observed atTurku Observatory, Finland. However, these observations are not considered for the asteroid's orbital computation and itsobservation arc begins with the discovery observation at Heidelberg.[8]
Since the discovery was made in the second half of March, the letter "E" in theprovisional designation is erroneous. It should have been "F", but the initially incorrect assignment has persisted.[citation needed]
It is a member of theFlora family, one of the largest families ofstony asteroids in the asteroid belt. It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,233 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.13 and aninclination of 4° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
In December 2014, a rotationallightcurve ofKohoutek was obtained from photometric observations in the R-band at thePalomar Transient Factory in California. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 3.68 hours with a brightness variation of 0.31magnitude (U=2).[7]
According to the survey carried out by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Kohoutek measures 5.91 and 7.64 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo of 0.181 and 0.383, respectively.[4][5][6] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.24 – derived from8 Flora, aS-type asteroid and the family's largest member and namesake – and calculates a diameter of 6.05 kilometers with anabsolute magnitude of 13.26.[3]
Thisminor planet was named in honor of the Czech astronomer,Luboš Kohoutek (born 1935), former staff member of the Hamburg-Bergedorf Observatory and prolific observer anddiscoverer of minor planets andcomets, most notably75D/Kohoutek,76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura, and the long-periodComet Kohoutek. He has also contributed in the fields of planetary nebulae and emission-line stars.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 20 February 1976 (M.P.C. 3935).[9]
