- Further information about the observatory
- 110393 Rammstein at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 110393 Rammstein at the JPL Small-Body Database
| Discovery[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | J.-C. Merlin |
| Discovery site | Le Creusot Obs. |
| Discovery date | 11 October 2001 |
| Designations | |
| (110393) Rammstein | |
Named after | Rammstein[2] (hard rock-metal band) |
| 2001 TC8 | |
| main-belt · (middle) background[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 15.62 yr (5,704 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9427 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.4774 AU |
| 2.7101 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0859 |
| 4.46 yr (1,630 days) | |
| 167.18° | |
| 0° 13m 15.24s / day | |
| Inclination | 12.164° |
| 217.13° | |
| 222.53° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 3.0 km (est. at 0.20)[4] 5.5 km (est. at 0.06)[4] |
| 15.0[1] | |
110393 Rammstein (provisional designation 2001 TC8) is a background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 4 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 11 October 2001, by French astronomer Jean-Claude Merlin at the Le Creusot Observatory in France. The asteroid was named after the German industrial metal band Rammstein.[2]
Rammstein is a non-family asteroid from the main belt's background population.[3] It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.5–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,630 days; semi-major axis of 2.71 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.09 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The body's observation arc begins with its first observation made by LONEOS at Lowell Observatory in September 2001, less than a month prior to its official discovery observation at Le Creusot.[2] A telescope is required to see Rammstein, as its maximum brightness is 1⁄48193 of the brightness of the faintest objects that can be seen with the unaided eye.[5]
The asteroid's spectral type is unknown.[1]
Rammstein has not been observed by any of the space-based surveys such as the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite or the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, the asteroid measures 3.0 and 5.5 kilometers in diameter based on an absolute magnitude of 15.0 and a geometric albedo of 0.20 and 0.06, which roughly correspond to a body of carbonaceous and stony composition, respectively (both types are common in the central asteroid belt).[2][4] The Minor Planet Center (MPC) similarly estimates the object's mean-diameter to be between 3 and 6 kilometers.[5]
As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Rammstein has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, shape and poles remain unknown.[1][6]
This minor planet was named after the German NDH-Metal band Rammstein, which in turn took its name from the city of Ramstein after the tragic 1988 air show disaster at Ramstein Air Base.[2] The official naming citation was published by the MPC on 19 February 2006 (M.P.C. 55989).[7]
