| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 2 August 1949 |
| Designations | |
| (2591) Dworetsky | |
Named after | Michael Dworetsky (British astronomer)[2] |
| 1949 PS · 1929 RH1 1934 RD · 1949 QU 1952 DC1 · 1962 BD 1962 EH · 1969 OC 1973 GQ · 1975 TU4 1978 GX3 · 1979 OD14 1981 YL2 · 1982 BO | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 82.57 yr (30,159 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.0614AU |
| Perihelion | 2.8135 AU |
| 2.9374 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0422 |
| 5.03yr (1,839 days) | |
| 236.94° | |
| 0° 11m 44.88s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.5430° |
| 356.26° | |
| 273.52° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 12.925±0.141[4] 13.269±0.195 km[5] 15.60 km(calculated)[3] |
| 12.77±0.05h[6] | |
| 0.20(assumed)[3] 0.2792±0.0310[5] 0.291±0.037[4] | |
| S[3][7] | |
| 11.4[5] · 11.5[1][3] · 11.70±0.46[7] | |
2591 Dworetsky, provisional designation1949 PS, is a stonyasteroid from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter.
The asteroid was discovered on 2 August 1949, by German astronomerKarl Reinmuth at theHeidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.[8] It was later named after British/American astronomerMichael Dworetsky.[2]
Dworetsky orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.8–3.1 AU once every 5.03 years (1,839 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.04 and aninclination of 2° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The asteroid has been characterized as a commonS-type asteroid byPanSTARRS' photometric survey.[7]
Dworetsky has arotation period of 12.8 hours[6] and analbedo of 0.279 and 0.291, based on observations made by NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer and its subsequentNEOWISE mission.[4][5] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20, and calculates a diameter of 15.6 kilometers, based on an absolutemagnitude of 11.5.[3]
Thisminor planet was named in honor of British/American astronomer Michael Dworetsky, senior lecturer atUniversity College London (UCL). He is an active member of theInternational Astronomical Union, affiliated to several divisions, including "Education, Outreach and Heritage".[9] His research involve the stellar abundances of the mercury group of elements and has also taken a large part in the development of the undergraduate astronomy degree program. The asteroid's name was proposed by Conrad Bardwell(also see1615 Bardwell), who made the identifications involving this minor planet.[2] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 27 June 1991 (M.P.C. 18448).[10]
