110393 Rammstein
A 4-km main-belt asteroid named after the band Rammstein.
110393 Rammstein orbits the Sun in the central main belt, taking about four and a half years to complete one circuit. Its path lies between 2.5 and 2.9 astronomical units from the Sun, with a slight eccentricity of 0.09 and an orbital tilt of 12 degrees. This asteroid is part of the belt's background population, not belonging to any known family.
Discovered on 11 October 2001 by French astronomer Jean-Claude Merlin at the Le Creusot Observatory, the object was first spotted less than a month earlier by the LONEOS survey at Lowell Observatory. With an absolute magnitude of 15.0, it is too faint for the naked eye—a telescope is needed to see it. Its diameter is estimated at roughly 3 to 6 kilometers, based on generic brightness-to-size conversions that assume either a dark, carbonaceous surface (albedo 0.06) or a brighter, stony one (albedo 0.20). No space-based surveys, such as IRAS, Akari, or NEOWISE, have observed it, so its spectral type, rotation period, shape, and pole orientation remain unknown.
The asteroid was named for the German industrial metal band Rammstein, which itself took its name from the city of Ramstein, referencing the 1988 air show disaster at Ramstein Air Base. The naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 19 February 2006.
Quick Facts
- Minorplanet
- yes
- Background
- #D6D6D6
- Discoverer
- J.-C. Merlin
- Discovery Site
- Le Creusot Obs.
- Discovered
- 11 October 2001
- Mpc Name
- (110393) Rammstein
- Named After
- Rammstein / (industrial metal band)
- Mp Category
- main-belt(middle) / background
- Epoch
- 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
- Uncertainty
- 0
- Observation Arc
- 15.62 yr (5,704 days)
- Aphelion
- 2.9427 AU
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
110393 Rammstein orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5–2.9 AU, completing one revolution every 4 years and 6 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 12° relative to the ecliptic. The asteroid is a non-family member of the main belt's background population. Its spectral type is unknown, and no rotational lightcurve has been obtained, leaving its rotation period, shape, and poles undetermined.
Reader's Guide
The asteroid 110393 Rammstein is notable primarily for its naming after the German industrial metal band Rammstein, which itself took its name from the city of Ramstein following the 1988 air show disaster at Ramstein Air Base. As a background asteroid in the central belt, it represents a typical small body of the region, with an estimated diameter between 3 and 6 kilometers based on generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion. It has not been observed by space-based surveys such as IRAS, Akari, or NEOWISE, so its composition remains uncertain—possibly carbonaceous or stony. The asteroid requires a telescope to be seen, as its maximum brightness is fainter than the unaided eye can detect. Its discovery by Jean-Claude Merlin at Le Creusot Observatory in 2001 adds to the catalog of minor planets named after cultural figures, linking astronomy with popular music.
Did You Know?
- The asteroid is approximately 4 kilometers in diameter and orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt.
- It was named after the German industrial metal band Rammstein, which took its name from the city of Ramstein after the 1988 air show disaster.
- No rotational lightcurve has been obtained for this asteroid, so its rotation period and shape remain unknown.
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