8661 Ratzinger
| Discovery Synodic rotation period | 4.301035±0.000002 h[5] | |
|---|---|---|
| 0.090±0.011[4] | ||
| S[6] | ||
| 12.3[1] | ||
8661 Ratzinger, provisional designation 1990 TA13, is an Eoan
Lutz Schmadel and Freimut Börngen at the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory in Tautenburg, eastern Germany.[7] The asteroid was named after Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI.[2]
Orbit and classification
Ratzinger is a member of the
606),[3] the largest asteroid family in the outer main belt consisting of nearly 10,000 asteroids.[8]: 23 It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.9–3.1 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,906 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.04 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
In October 1969, it was first identified as 1969 US at
Crimea–Nauchnij. The body's observation arc begins at Leoncito in 1974, when it was identified as 1974 TM1, 16 years prior to its official discovery observation at Tautenburg.[7]
Physical characteristics
According to the survey carried out by NASA's
Josef Ďurech et al. measured its rotation period as 4.301035±0.000002 hours and provided a partial shape model.[5]
As of 2020, Ratzinger's composition remains unknown.[1][6]
Naming
This
Vatican Secret Archives in 1998 to researchers investigating judicial errors against Galileo, after whom the minor planet 697 Galilea is named, and other medieval scientists.[2]
Ratzinger was considered to be one of the most authoritative voices in the Vatican and became
M.P.C. 40702).[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 8661 Ratzinger (1990 TA13)" (2019-08-28 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
- ^ a b "Asteroid 8661 Ratzinger – Nesvorny HCM Asteroid Families V3.0". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ S2CID 118745497. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ S2CID 119388288. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b "LCDB Data for (8661) Ratzinger". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ a b "8661 Ratzinger (1990 TA13)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- S2CID 119280014.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (5001)-(10000) – Minor Planet Center
- 8661 Ratzinger at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 8661 Ratzinger at the JPL Small-Body Database
