Discovered by K. Reinmuth MPC designation 1850 Kohoutek Discovered 23 March 1942 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 23 March 1942 Minor planet category main-belt · (inner) Absolute magnitude 12.8 Discoverer Karl Wilhelm Reinmuth | |
Alternative names 1942 EN · 1949 KD1953 SH · 1959 GR1965 AQ Discovery site Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl Similar Comet Kohoutek, 1862 Apollo, Sun, 1419 Danzig, 1056 Azalea | ||
1850 Kohoutek, provisional designation 1942 EN, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during World War II on 23 March 1942, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory.
Since the discovery was made in the second half of March, the letter "E" in the provisional designation is erroneous. It should have been "F", but the initially incorrect assignment has persisted.
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.0–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,233 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.13 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic. 10 days prior to its discovery, the body was observed at Turku Observatory, Finland. However, these observations are not considered for the asteroid's orbital computation and its observation arc start with the discovery observation at Heidelberg.
According to the survey carried out by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures 7.6 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.181. As of 2016, the asteroid's composition, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.
This minor planet was named in honor of the Czech astronomer, Luboš Kohoutek (b. 1935), former staff member of the Hamburg-Bergedorf Observatory and prolific observer and discoverer of minor planets and comets, most notably 75D/Kohoutek, 76P/West–Kohoutek–Ikemura, and the long-period Comet Kohoutek. He has also contributed in the fields of planetary nebulae and emission-line stars. Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 3935).