Discovery date 24 September 1960 Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Discovered 24 September 1960 Discovery site Palomar Observatory | MPC designation 1776 Kuiper Observation arc 86.69 yr (31,665 days) Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Discovered by C. J. van Houten
I. van Houten-G.
T. Gehrels Alternative names 2520 P-L · 1930 EB
1931 KK · 1938 SU
1952 DQ2 · 1963 FJ Named after Gerard Kuiper (astronomer) Discoverers Tom Gehrels, Cornelis Johannes van Houten, Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld Similar Solar System, Sun, 3047 Goethe | ||
1776 Kuiper, provisional designation 2520 P-L, is a dark asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 38 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten in collaboration with Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at the U.S. Palomar Observatory in California.
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 3.1–3.1 AU once every 5 years and 6 months (1,996 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.01 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic. Kuiper was first identified as 1930 EB at Heidelberg Observatory in 1930, extending its observation arc by 30 years prior to its official discovery observation.
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 36.0 and 40.0 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has a low albedo of 0.033 and 0.054, respectively. Typical value for a C-type asteroid in the outer main-belt. However, as of 2016, Kuiper's composition, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.
The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand minor planets.
The minor planet is named after Dutch–American astronomer Gerard Kuiper (1905–1973), initiator of the Palomar-Leiden survey. He was a well-known authority in the field of planetary science and director at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and at Yerkes Observatory. He discovered Miranda and Nereid, satellites of Uranus and Neptune, respectively. The third zone of the Solar System, the Kuiper belt, is named after him. Also, the Mercurian crater Kuiper, the Martian crater Kuiper and the lunar crater Kuiper all bear his name. Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 3185).