Discovered by Y. Väisälä Discovered 18 October 1939 Discovery site Iso-Heikkilä Observatory | Discovery date 18 October 1939 Minor planet category main-belt · (inner) Orbits Sun Discoverer Yrjö Väisälä Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Alternative names 1939 UA · 1933 DD1951 YO2 · 1954 NC1966 TA People also search for 1551 Argelander, 1496 Turku | ||
1740 Paavo Nurmi, provisional designation 1939 UA, is rare-type asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 October 1939, by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland.
On the Tholen taxonomic scheme, Paavo Nurmi has a rare F-type spectrum, a subtype of the carbonaceous asteroids, which are common in the outer, but not in the inner main-belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,415 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.19 and an inclination of 2° with respect to the ecliptic.of 2.0–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,415 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.19 and is tilted by 2 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. Paavo Nurmi was first identified as 1933 DD at Heidelberg Observatory in 1933. This observation, however, remained unused and the body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Turku in 1939.
Paavo Nurmi has an absolute magnitude of 13.24. According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 12.76 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.046. As of 2017, its rotation period and shape remain unknown.
This minor planet was named for famed Turku-born Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi, also known as The Flying Finn, who won nine Olympic gold medals and set 22 official world records at distances between 1,500 metres and 20 kilometres. Naming citation was published on 1 April 1980 (M.P.C. 5281).