Discovered by K. Reinmuth MPC designation 1481 Tubingia Observation arc 83.62 yr (30,543 days) Orbits Sun Named after Tübingen (German city) | Discovery date 7 February 1938 Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Discovered 7 February 1938 Discoverer Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Alternative names 1938 DR · 1930 UL
1933 FT1 · 1933 FY1
1935 SY1 · 1938 CN
1938 ES · 1939 LD
1941 WF · 1950 OQ
1955 LA · 1959 GY
A907 GQ · A912 FB Discovery site Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl Similar 1862 Apollo, Sun, 1419 Danzig, 1056 Azalea, 1111 Reinmuthia | ||
1481 Tübingia, provisional designation 1938 DR, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 34 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 February 1938, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.
The dark C-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.9–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,917 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.04 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic. It was first identified as A907 GQ at the U.S. Taunton Observatory in 1907. Tübingia's first used observation was made at Heidelberg in 1933, extending the body's observation arc by 5 years prior to its official discovery observation.
In October 2008, a rotational light-curve of Tübingia was obtained form photometric observations by James Brinsfield at Via Capote Observatory in California. It gave a longer-than average rotation period of 24 hours with a brightness variation of 0.20 magnitude (U=2). The result supersedes a much longer period obtained in the 1980s.
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Tübingia measures between 33.26 and 40.12 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.082 to 0.117. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results from IRAS, that is an albedo of 0.117 and a diameter of 33.26 kilometers.
The asteroid was named after Tübingen, city in southern Germany and birthplace of astronomer Johannes Kepler. Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 909).