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11409 Horkheimer
Themistian asteroid
Themistian asteroid
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| minorplanet | yes |
| name | 11409 Horkheimer |
| background | #D6D6D6 |
| discovery_ref | |
| discoverer | LONEOS |
| discovery_site | Anderson Mesa Stn. |
| discovered | 19 March 1999 |
| mpc_name | (11409) Horkheimer |
| alt_names | 1988 HY |
| named_after | Jack Horkheimer |
| (American science communicator) | |
| mp_category | main-belt(outer) |
| Themis | |
| orbit_ref | |
| epoch | 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) |
| uncertainty | 0 |
| observation_arc | 29.11 yr (10,632 d) |
| aphelion | 3.5587 AU |
| perihelion | 2.8167 AU |
| semimajor | 3.1877 AU |
| eccentricity | 0.1164 |
| period | 5.69 yr (2,079 d) |
| mean_anomaly | 109.84° |
| mean_motion | / day |
| inclination | 2.2984° |
| asc_node | 115.92° |
| arg_peri | 74.973° |
| mean_diameter | |
| albedo | |
| spectral_type | C (Themis family) |
| abs_magnitude | 12.8 |
(American science communicator) Themis
11409 Horkheimer, provisional designation , is a Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 15 km in diameter. It was discovered on 19 March 1999, by astronomers of the Lowell Observatory Near-Earth Object Search at Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona. The likely C-type asteroid was named for American science communicator Jack Horkheimer.
Orbit and classification
Horkheimer is a core member of the Themis family (602), a very large family of carbonaceous asteroids, named after 24 Themis. It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.8–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,079 days; semi-major axis of 3.19 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its first observation as at the Leoncito Astronomical Complex in April 1988, or 11 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.
Physical characteristics
Horkheimer has an absolute magnitude of 12.8. While its spectral type has not been determined, it is likely a carbonaceous C-type asteroid, typical for members of the Themis family. As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.
Diameter and albedo
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Horkheimer measures 15.355 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.053, typical for carbonaceous asteroids.
Naming
This minor planet was named after Jack F. Horkheimer (1938–2010), director of the Planetarium at the former Miami Science Museum, who was the creator and host of the television program Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 9 January 2001 (M.P.C. 41938).
References
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (10001)-(15000) – Minor Planet Center
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
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