Discovery date 27 July 1955 Observation arc 61.29 yr (22,385 days) Orbits Sun Asteroid family Gefion family Asteroid group Asteroid belt | MPC designation 1751 Herget Discovered 27 July 1955 Named after Paul Herget (astronomer) Discovery site Goethe Link Observatory Discoverer Indiana Asteroid Program | |
Discovered by Indiana University
(Indiana Asteroid Program) Alternative names 1955 OC · 1955 QO
1955 RB · 1955 SP1
1962 CC · 1969 QA Minor planet category main-belt · Gefion family | ||
1751 Herget, provisional designation 1955 OC, is a stony asteroid from the middle region of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 July 1955, by IU's Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States.
Herget is a member of the small Gefion family of asteroids. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.3–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,701 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic. As no precoveries were taken, and no prior identifications were made, the body's observation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Goethe Link in 1955.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Herget measures 10.93 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.195. It is classified as a S-type asteroid in the SMASS taxonomy, and has an absolute magnitude of 11.9. As of 2017, Herget's rotation period and shape remain unknown.
This minor planet was named in honor of American astronomer Paul Herget (1908–1981), who was director of the Cincinnati Observatory and distinguished service professor in the University of Cincinnati. He was also founder of the Minor Planet Center in 1947, pioneer in the application of high speed computers to astronomical problems, member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and past president of IAU's Commission 20 (Positions & Motions of Minor Planets, Comets & Satellites). Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 3143).