Discovered by P. Đurković MPC designation 1605 Milankovitch Observation arc 80.58 yr (29,432 days) Aphelion 3.25 m Discoverer Petar Đurković | Discovery date 13 April 1936 Discovered 13 April 1936 Orbits Sun Named after Milutin Milanković | |
Alternative names 1936 GA · 1925 DC1931 KB · 1938 ST1941 FA · 1946 FF1949 UC1 · 1968 KPA907 UB Discovery site | ||
1605 Milankovitch, provisional designation 1936 GA, is an Eoan asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 31 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 13 April 1936, by Serbian astronomer Petar Đurković at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle, Belgium. Two nights later, the body was independently discovered by Polish astronomers Jan Piegza and Tadeusz Banachiewicz at Cracow and Warsaw, respectively.
The asteroid is a member of the Eos family, an orbital group of more than 4,000 asteroids, which are well known for mostly being of stony composition. It is classified as a metallic M-type by the NEOWISE mission, as a stony S-type by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL), and as a LS-type – a transitional form between plain S-types and rare L-type asteroids – by the large-scale survey performed by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope.
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.8–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,910 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 11° with respect to the ecliptic. Milankovitch was first observed at the U.S Taunton Observatory (803) in 1907. However, it remained unused – as did the subsequent observations at both Simeiz and Lowell Observatory in 1925 and 1931, respectively – and the asteroid's observation arc begins with its discovery observation in 1936.
In April 2004, a rotational light-curve for Milankovitch was obtained from photometric observations by American amateur astronomer Walter R. Cooney Jr.. It gave a rotation period of 7001116000000000000♠11.60±0.05 hours with a brightness variation of 0.12 in magnitude (U=2). In October 2006, French astronomer Pierre Antonini obtained another light-curve, which gave a similar period of 7001116300000000000♠11.63±0.03 and an amplitude of 0.14 in magnitude (U=2).
According to the space-based 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, Milankovitch measures between 27.8 and 33.8 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.142 and 0.235. CALL derives an albedo of 0.140 and a diameter of 32.4 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 10.2.
The minor planet was named in memory of Serbian-Yugoslav scientist Milutin Milanković (1879–1958), best known for his Milankovitch cycles, a theory of celestial mechanics that describes the collective effects of changes in the Earth's movements upon its climate. He is also honored by the lunar crater Milankovič, and by the Martian crater Milankovič. Naming citation was published on 1 August 1980 (M.P.C. 5449).