Discovered by Y. Väisälä MPC designation 2067 Aksnes Observation arc 80.30 yr (29,331 days) Aphelion 4.68 m Discoverer Yrjö Väisälä Discovery site Iso-Heikkilä Observatory | Discovery date 23 February 1936 Discovered 23 February 1936 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Alternative names 1936 DD · 1951 AG1965 UV · 1971 QH21973 UR2 · 1975 BD1 | ||
2067 Aksnes, provisional designation 1936 DD, is a rare-type Hildian asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 44 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 23 February 1936, by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland.
The dark and reddish asteroid is a member of the Hilda family, the outermost orbital group of asteroids in the main-belt, that are thought to have originated from the Kuiper belt. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 3.2–4.7 AU once every 7 years and 11 months (2,882 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic. The asteroid's observation arc begins on its discovery night at Turku, the first used observation. As all Hildian asteroids orbit in a 3:2 orbital resonance with the gas giant Jupiter, meaning that for every 2 orbits Jupiter completes around the Sun, they will complete 3 orbits, this asteroid's orbit does not cross the path of any of the planets and therefore it will not be pulled out of orbit by Jupiter's gravitational field. As a result of this, it is likely that the asteroid will remain in a stable orbit for thousands of years.
It is classified as a rare P-type and D-type asteroid on the Tholen taxonomic scheme and by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, respectively. Of either type only a few dozens bodies are currently known to exist in the Tholen and SMASSII taxonomy.
During a photometric survey of Hildian asteroids in the 1990s, a rotational light-curve was obtained for this asteroid by Swedish, German and Italian observatories . The light-curve gave a rotation period of 7001177500000000000♠17.75 hours with a brightness variation of 0.24 in magnitude (U=2).
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite, and NASA's WISE telescope and its NEOWISE mission, the asteroid measures between 42.5 and 49.3 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a low albedo between 0.049 and 0.063. The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.056 and a diameter of 42.5 kilometers, based on an absolute magnitude of 10.6.
The minor planet was named in honor of Norwegian Kaare Aksnes (b. 1938), a celestial mechanician who worked at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in the 1970s. He is known for his studies of artificial and natural satellites, in particular for his research on the Galilean satellites, the four largest moons of Jupiter, namely Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Naming citation was published before November 1977 (M.P.C. 4482).