Discovered by F. Börngen MPC designation 15811 Nüsslein-Volhard Discovered 10 July 1994 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 10 July 1994 Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 12.8 | |
Alternative names 1994 ND1 · 1955 SX11988 PY2 · 1989 SG7 People also search for Sun, 100019 Gregorianik, 100029 Varnhagen, 10114 Greifswald, 100033 Taizé, 10116 Robertfranz | ||
15811 Nüsslein-Volhard, provisional designation 1994 ND1, is a dark asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 10 July 1994, by German astronomer Freimut Börngen at the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory in Tautenburg, Germany.
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.7 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,095 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic. It was first identified as 1955 SX1 at Goethe Link Observatory in 1955, extending the asteroid's observation arc by 39 years prior to its discovery.
According to the observations made by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 15.2 and 16.2 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has a low albedo of 0.062 and 0.067, respectively. which are typical values for carbonaceous asteroids. However, as of 2017, the asteroid's actual composition, rotation period and shape remain unknown.
The minor planet is named after Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (b. 1942), a German biologist who, together with Eric Wieschaus and Edward Lewis, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995. Her research identified the genes controlling the embryonic development for the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Naming citation was published on 26 May 2002 (M.P.C. 45748).