Discovered by L. Boyer MPC designation 1597 Laugier Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 12 Discoverer Louis Boyer Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 7 March 1949 Alternative names 1949 EB Discovered 7 March 1949 Orbits Sun Discovery site Algiers Observatory | |
Named after Marguerite Laugier
(astronomer) Similar Sun, 1338 Duponta, 1301 Yvonne | ||
1597 Laugier, provisional designation 1949 EB, is an asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 7 March 1949, by French astronomer Louis Boyer at the north African Algiers Observatory in Algeria.
The presumed carbonaceous asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.6–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 10 months (1,753 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic. As no precoveries were taken and no prior identifications were made, Laugier's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation in 1949.
A rotational light-curve for this asteroid from an unpublished source at the Asteroid Light Curve Database gave a well-defined rotation period of 8.020 hours with a brightness amplitude between 0.68 and 0.71 in magnitude (U=3). A similar period of 8.023 hours was previously obtained from remodeled data of the Lowell photometric database in March 2016.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Laugier measures 12.9 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.244, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057, and calculates a diameter of 24.3 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.8.
The minor planet was named after French astronomer and asteroid discoverer Marguerite Laugier (1896–1976), but possibly (also) after French astronomer Paul Auguste Ernest Laugier (1812–1872). Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 4418).