1803 Zwicky
Stony Phocaea binary asteroid discovered by Paul Wild in 1967.
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1803 Zwicky (provisional designation 1967 CA) is a stony Phocaea asteroid and binary system from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 6 February 1967 by Swiss astronomer Paul Wild at Zimmerwald Observatory near Bern, Switzerland, and later named after Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky. Its notable binary nature was announced on 8 March 2021.
Background
1803 Zwicky is a member of the Phocaea family (701), an asteroid family with two thousand members named after 25 Phocaea. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 7 months, with a semi-major axis of 2.35 AU, an eccentricity of 0.25, and an inclination of 22° with respect to the ecliptic. It was first identified as 1931 DL at Lowell Observatory in 1931, extending the body's observation arc by 36 years prior to its official discovery.
Photometric observations by Tom Polakis at the Command Module Observatory on 21 February 2021 revealed that Zwicky has a satellite in its orbit. The moon has a diameter of approximately 2.50 kilometers, or 26% of that of its primary, and an orbital period of 28.46 hours. The discovery was announced on 8 March 2021. Lightcurve observations from July 2018 by the TESS-team gave a rotation period of 2.73364 hours, while Polakis determined a very similar period of 2.7329 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who discovered 1803 Zwicky and where?
Swiss astronomer Paul Wild first observed the asteroid on 6 February 1967 from Zimmerwald Observatory, a modest site near Bern, Switzerland. It carried the provisional designation 1967 CA before receiving its permanent number and name.
When was 1803 Zwicky's binary nature confirmed?
The public announcement that 1803 Zwicky hosts a companion body came on 8 March 2021. This added the object to the growing catalog of known binary asteroids in the inner belt and opened new avenues for studying its orbital dynamics.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: 1803 Zwicky (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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