3181 Ahnert
Discovery [1]
Discovered byF. Börngen
Discovery siteKarl Schwarzschild Obs.
Discovery date8 March 1964
Designations
(3181) Ahnert
Named after
Paul Ahnert (astronomer)[2]
1964 EC · 1932 RK
1936 XJ · 1951 GC1
1964 DE · 1975 NH1
1975 RD · 1979 SC12
1979 UO4 · 1979 WD8
1979 WU1 · 1982 RE1
main-belt · Flora [3]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc86.12 yr (31,454 days)
Aphelion2.3743 AU
Perihelion2.0840 AU
2.2292 AU
Eccentricity0.0651
3.33 yr (1,216 days)
9.5372°
0° 17m 45.96s / day
Inclination3.9579°
221.14°
304.92°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions7.961±0.097[4]
8.19 km (calculated)[3]
8.511±0.031 km[5]
8.57±0.24 km[6]
0.1856±0.0266[5]
0.216±0.019[4]
0.24 (assumed)[3]
0.264±0.029[6]
SMASS = S [1] · S [3][7]
12.40[6] · 12.6[1][3] · 12.8[5] · 12.98±0.06[7]

    3181 Ahnert, provisional designation 1964 EC, is a stony Flora asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, about 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Freimut Börngen at the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory in Tautenburg, eastern Germany, on 8 March 1964.[8]

    Orbit and classification

    The S-type asteroid is a member of the Flora family, one of the largest groups of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.1–2.4 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,216 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was obtained at Lowell Observatory in 1931, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 33 years prior to its discovery.[8]

    Physical characteristics

    According to the surveys carried out by NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures between 8.0 and 8.6 kilometers and its surface has an albedo between 0.19 and 0.26.[4][6][5] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an intermediate albedo of 0.24 – derived from 8 Flora, the largest member and namesake of this orbital family – and calculates a diameter of 8.2 kilometers.[3] As of 2016, the asteroid's rotation period and shape still remain unknown.

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after German astronomer Paul Ahnert (1897–1989), author of the annual calendar of astronomical events (German: Kalender für Sternfreunde) and a renowned astronomer among professionals and amateurs. His fields of research included the physics of the Solar System and periods of variable stars at the Sonneberg Observatory. (The minor planet 1039 Sonneberga is named after this observatory.) Publisher of several books on performing astronomical observations, he also popularized the subject of astronomy to the general public.[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 July 1985 (M.P.C. 9771).[9]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3181 Ahnert (1964 EC)" (2017-05-04 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3181) Ahnert". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3181) Ahnert. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 264. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3182. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "LCDB Data for (3181) Ahnert". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 3 May 2016.
    4. 1 2 3 Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
    5. 1 2 3 4 Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
    6. 1 2 3 4 Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
    7. 1 2 Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 - Preliminary results". Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
    8. 1 2 "3181 Ahnert (1964 EC)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
    9. ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
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