1846 Bengt

1846 Bengt, provisional designation 6553 P-L, is a dark asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by the Palomar–Leiden survey in 1960, it was named for Danish astronomer Bengt Strömgren.[2]

1846 Bengt
Discovery[1]
Discovered byC. J. van Houten
I. van Houten-G.
T. Gehrels
Discovery sitePalomar Obs.
Discovery date24 September 1960
Designations
(1846) Bengt
Named after
Bengt Strömgren
(Danish astronomer)[2]
6553 P-L · 1951 CW1
1957 YP
main-belt · (inner)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc58.66 yr (21,424 days)
Aphelion2.6708 AU
Perihelion2.0063 AU
2.3386 AU
Eccentricity0.1421
3.58 yr (1,306 days)
256.07°
0° 16m 32.16s / day
Inclination3.1843°
19.092°
75.087°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions10.998±0.080 km[3]
0.047±0.005[3]
13.8[1]

    Discovery

    Bengt was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten in collaboration with Tom Gehrels, who took the photographic plates at Palomar Observatory in California.[4]

    The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory 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 several thousand asteroid discoveries.[5]

    The asteroid was first identified as 1951 CW1 at McDonald Observatory in 1951. The observation arc starts 3 years prior to its official discovery observation, with its first used identification 1957 YP made at Goethe Link Observatory in 1957.[4]

    Orbit and classification

    Bengt orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 2.0–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 7 months (1,306 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]

    Physical characteristics

    Based on preliminary results by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Bengt measures 10.998 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.047, which is typical for carbonaceous C-type asteroids.[3] As of 2017, no rotational lightcurve has been obtained.[6]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named after renowned Danish astronomer Bengt Strömgren (1908–1987), on the occasion of his 70th birthday. He was an authority in the field of stellar structure and stellar evolution, director of the Yerkes Observatory from 1951 to 1957, and president of the International Astronomical Union (1970–1973).[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 November 1978 (M.P.C. 4547).[7]

    References
    1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1846 Bengt (6553 P-L)" (2016-08-23 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
    2. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(1846) Bengt". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (1846) Bengt. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 148. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_1847. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    3. Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 29 March 2017.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
    4. "1846 Bengt (6553 P-L)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
    5. "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
    6. "LCDB Data for (1846) Bengt". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 29 March 2017.
    7. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2009). "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 221. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7.

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