Discovered by A. Kopff MPC designation 1780 Kippes Orbital period 1,915 days Orbits Sun | Discovery date 12 September 1906 Discovered 12 September 1906 | |
Alternative names A906 RA · 1935 CC1938 UC1 · 1943 TL1943 VD · 1947 NB1951 ED2 · 1953 SA1957 LD · 1962 JU1969 RB2 · 1975 VL6A911 QE Discovery site Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl Similar Sun, 621 Werdandi, 614 Pia, 596 Scheila, 617 Patroclus | ||
1780 Kippes, provisional designation A906 RA, is a stony asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, about 28 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer August Kopff at Heidelberg Observatory on 12 September 1906.
The S-type asteroid is a member of the Eos family. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.9–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,913 days). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.05 and is tilted by 9 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic. It has a long rotation period of 18 hours and an albedo of about 0.12, according to the surveys carried out by IRAS, Akari, WISE and NEOWISE.
The asteroid was named by the Minor Planet Center in honor of German Catholic priest and amateur astronomer Otto Kippes (1905–1994). He was a diligent and meticulous worker, acknowledged for his work in orbit calculations and identifications of minor planets in widely separated oppositions.