_Naef.png) Modelled shape ofNaef from itslightcurve | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | P. Wild |
| Discovery site | Zimmerwald Obs. |
| Discovery date | 5 September 1972 |
| Designations | |
| (1906) Naef | |
Named after | Robert A. Naef (amateur astronomer)[2] |
| 1972 RC · 1943 VF 1952 DG1 · 1965 WF | |
| main-belt · Vestoid[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 51.33 yr (18,749 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.6944AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0517 AU |
| 2.3731 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1354 |
| 3.66yr (1,335 days) | |
| 94.839° | |
| 0° 16m 10.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.4757° |
| 354.84° | |
| 14.485° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 6.64 km(calculated)[3] 7.923±0.090[4] 8.057±0.083 km[5] |
| 11.00818±0.00001h[6] 11.009±0.0012 h[a] 11.0090±0.0002 h[7] 11.03±0.02 h[8] | |
| 0.2282±0.0466[5] 0.234±0.052[4] 0.4(assumed)[3] | |
| SQ[9] · V[3] | |
| 12.5[1][3] · 12.7[5] · 13.36±0.31[9] | |
1906 Naef (prov. designation:1972 RC) is a stony vestoidasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 7 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 September 1972, by Swiss astronomerPaul Wild atZimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland.[10] It was later named after Swiss banker and amateur astronomerRobert A. Naef.[2]
Naef orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.1–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,335 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.14 and aninclination of 6° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Zimmerwald, as previous observation atTurku Observatory (1943 VF) andMcDonald Observatory (1952 DG1) in 1943 and 1952, respectively, remain unused.[10]
According to observations by theWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer'sNEOWISE mission,Naef measures 7.9 and 8.1 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo of 0.23,[4][5] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.40 and calculates a diameter of 6.6 kilometer with anabsolute magnitude of 12.5.[3]
Naef is avestoid or V-type asteroid, with itsspectral type comparable to that of the group's namesake,4 Vesta. V-type asteroids are less common than the abundantS-type asteroids, but they are similar in their stony composition, except for their higher concentration ofpyroxenes, an aluminium-rich silicate mineral.PanSTARRS' photometric survey has characterized it as a SQ-type that transitions to theQ-type asteroids.[9]
Four rotationallightcurves, obtained during 2005–2009, gave a well-definedrotation period between 11.01 and 11.03 hours, and a brightness variation of 0.92–0.95magnitude (U=n.a./3/n.a./2+).[6][7][8][a]
Thisminor planet was named after Swiss banker Robert A. Naef (1907–1975) fromZürich, an ardentamateur astronomer, who produced the yearly observers almanac,Der Sternenhimmel, since 1940.[2] The officialnaming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 18 April 1977 (M.P.C. 4157).[11]
