3537 Jürgen, provisional designation 1982 VT, is a stony Eunomia asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Edward Bowell at Lowell's Anderson Mesa Station, Arizona, on 15 November 1982.[8] It was named after planetary scientist Jürgen Rahe.[2]

3537 Jürgen
Discovery [1]
Discovered byE. Bowell
Discovery siteAnderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date15 November 1982
Designations
(3537) Jürgen
Named after
Jürgen Rahe
(planetary scientist)[2]
1982 VT · 1985 JE1
main-belt · Eunomia[3]
Maria[4]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc34.44 yr (12,580 days)
Aphelion2.9939 AU
Perihelion2.1811 AU
2.5875 AU
Eccentricity0.1571
4.16 yr (1,520 days)
199.04°
0° 14m 12.48s / day
Inclination15.175°
44.253°
277.59°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions7.800±0.055 km[5]
8.314±0.086[6]
9.17 km (calculated)[3]
14 h[4]
0.1675±0.0266[5]
0.188±0.008[6]
0.21 (assumed)[3]
LS [7] · S[3]
12.5[1][3] · 12.59±0.14[7] · 13.1[5]

Orbit and classification edit

Jürgen is both a member of the Eunomia and Maria family of asteroids.[4] It orbits the Sun in the central main-belt at a distance of 2.2–3.0 AU once every 4 years and 2 months (1,520 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.16 and an inclination of 15° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] The first precovery was taken at Crimea-Nauchnij in 1982, extending the asteroid's observation arc by just 25 days prior to its discovery.[8]

Physical characteristics edit

Jürgen is a common S-type asteroid.[3] It has also been characterized as a rare LS-type by Pan-STARRS' large-scale photometric survey.[7]

Diameter and albedo edit

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, the asteroid measures 7.8 and 8.3 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.168 and 0.188,[5][6] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes an albedo of 0.21 and hence calculates a larger diameter of 9.1 kilometers.[3]

Rotation period edit

A 2004-published photometric lightcurve analysis by Brazilian astronomer Alvaro Alvarez-Candal rendered a provisional rotation period of 14 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.3 in magnitude (U=1).[4]

Naming edit

This minor planet was named after Jürgen Rahe (1939–1997), German planetary scientist, astrophysicist, and Director for Solar System Exploration at NASA's Office of Space Science.[9] He is best known for his cometary atlases and observations using the International Ultraviolet Explorer.

Jürgen Rahe was also a principal investigator of the International Halley Watch (IHW), director of both, the astronomy department at FAU and the Dr. Remeis Observatory, and affiliated with IAU's Physical Studies of Comets, Minor Planets and Meteorites commission for many years. His diplomatic skills in international projects were beneficial to both IHW and IAU.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 April 1988 (M.P.C. 12973).[10]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3537 Jurgen (1982 VT)" (2017-03-30 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(3537) Jürgen". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (3537) Jürgen. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 297. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3536. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "LCDB Data for (3537) Jurgen". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d Alvarez-Candal, Alvaro; Duffard, René; Angeli, Cláudia A.; Lazzaro, Daniela; Fernández, Silvia (December 2004). "Rotational lightcurves of asteroids belonging to families". Icarus. 172 (2): 388–401. Bibcode:2004Icar..172..388A. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.06.008. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d 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 20 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  7. ^ a b c 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 20 May 2016.
  8. ^ a b "3537 Jurgen (1982 VT)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Jurgen Rahe Obituary". American Astronomical Society. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  10. ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 20 May 2016.

External links edit