Discovered by Y. Väisälä Observation arc 81.21 yr (29,662 days) Orbits Sun Discovery site Iso-Heikkilä Observatory | Discovery date 6 September 1940 Discovered 6 September 1940 Discoverer Yrjö Väisälä | |
Alternative names 1940 RO · 1928 SP1935 FL · 1952 QN11952 SD1 · A916 UA Similar 1450 Raimonda, Sun, Asteroid belt, Solar System, 216 Kleopatra | ||
1677 Tycho Brahe, provisional designation 1940 RO, is a stony Eunomian asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 6 September 1940, by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland.
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Eunomia family, a large group of stony asteroids in the main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.3–2.8 AU once every 4.03 years (1,472 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 15° with respect to the ecliptic. Tycho Brahe was first identified as A916 UA at Bergedorf Observatory in 1916, extending the body's observation arc by 24 years prior to its official discovery observation.
In July 2012, a rotational light-curve of Tycho Brahe was obtained by Renata Violante and Martha Leake, that gave a rotation period of 3.89 hours with a brightness variation of 0.38 magnitude (U=2+).
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Tycho Brahe measures 11.78 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.221 (revised 2014-figures). The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.21, derived from the family's largest member and namesake, 15 Eunomia, and calculates a diameter of 13.26 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 11.7.
This minor planet is named for the great Danish-born astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546–1601) an early forerunner and father of modern astronomy. He is known for his unprecedented precise measurements in the pre-telescopic era. Brahe is also honored by the prominent crater Tycho in the southern highlands of the Moon and by the Martian cater Tycho Brahe. The bright supernova, SN 1572, is also known as Tycho's Nova. Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 4236).