Discovered by K. Reinmuth MPC designation 1049 Gotho Alternative names 1925 RB · A906 DD Discovered 14 September 1925 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 14 September 1925 Named after unknown Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 10.32 Discoverer Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth | |
Discovery site Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl Similar 1056 Azalea, 1002 Olbersia, 1111 Reinmuthia, 1001 Gaussia, 1102 Pepita |
1049 Gotho, provisional designation 1925 RB, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 53 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 14 September 1925, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.
Gotho is a very dark C-type asteroid. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 5 months (1,986 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 15° with respect to the ecliptic. First identified as A906 DD at Heidelberg in 1906, the body's observation arc begins much later at Johannesburg in 1952, or 27 years after its official discovery observation.
In April 2010, a rotational lightcurve of Gotho was obtained by astronomer Kenda Albers at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory, Australia. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 8.470 hours with a brightness variation of 0.17 magnitude (U=3-).
According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Gotho measures between 53.56 and 56.296 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.008 and 0.045 (without preliminary results). The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0469 and a diameter of 51.05 kilometers using an absolute magnitude of 10.4.
The origin of Gotho's name is unknown.