15811 Nüsslein-Volhard

Orbit and classification

Nüsslein-Volhard orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.7 AU once every 5 years and 9 months (2,095 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic.

The asteroid's observation arc begins 39 years prior to its official discovery observation, with its first identification as at the Goethe Link Observatory in September 1955.

Physical characteristics

According to the observations made by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequent NEOWISE mission, Nüsslein-Volhard measures 15.2 and 16.2 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.062 and 0.067, respectively. A low albedo of 0.06 is typical for carbonaceous asteroids.

Lightcurve

As of 2017, Nüsslein-Volhards actual composition, rotation period and shape remain unknown.

Naming

This minor planet was named after Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (born 1942), a German biologist who, together with Eric Wieschaus and Edward Lewis, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1995. Her research identified the genes controlling the embryonic development for the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 26 May 2002 (M.P.C. 45748).

References