Discovered by L. Oterma MPC designation 1544 Vinterhansenia Discovered 15 October 1941 Orbits Sun Discovery site Iso-Heikkilä Observatory | Discovery date 15 October 1941 Minor planet category main-belt · (inner) Absolute magnitude 11.7 Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Alternative names 1941 UK · 1928 DO1937 RK · 1939 CL1948 QT · 1974 YBA906 DB · A919 UB People also search for 1680 Per Brahe, Sun, 2268 Szmytowna | ||
1544 Vinterhansenia, provisional designation 1941 UK, is a dark asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 22 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 October 1941, by Finnish astronomer Liisi Oterma at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland.
Vinterhansenia is classified as both C-type and X-type asteroid. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.1–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 8 months (1,335 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic. Vinterhansenia was first identified as A906 DB at Heidelberg Observatory in 1906. Its first used observation, 1928 DO, was also taken at Heidelberg in 1928, and extends the body's observation arc by 13 years prior to its official discovery observation at Turku in 1941.
Two rotational light-curves of Vinterhansenia were obtained from photometric observations taken by Kevin Ivarsen in October 2003, and Laurent Bernasconi in March 2005. Light-curve analysis gave a rotation period of 13.7 and 13.77 hours with a brightness variation of 0.15 and 0.18 magnitude, respectively (U=2/2).
According to the space-based surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Vinterhansenia measures between 20.76 and 26.23 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo between 0.040 and 0.078. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.0599 and a diameter of 21.63 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 12.0.
This minor planet was named for Danish astronomer Julie Vinter Hansen (1890–1960), who worked at the Copenhagen Observatory and was director of the International Astronomical Union's telegram bureau and Editor of its Circulars (also see Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams) Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 1350).