| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 15 August 1939 |
| Designations | |
| (1818) Brahms | |
Named after | Johannes Brahms (German composer)[2] |
| 1939 PE · 1936 TF 1955 SU · 1955 TN 1955 UC · A904 RE | |
| main-belt · (inner) | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 112.50 yr (41,092 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.5504 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.7770 AU |
| 2.1637 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1787 |
| 3.18 yr (1,163 days) | |
| 194.32° | |
| 0° 18m 34.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.9782° |
| 249.48° | |
| 74.560° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 8±3 km (generic)[3] |
| 13.8[1] | |
1818 Brahms, provisional designation 1939 PE, is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 15 August 1939, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.[4] The asteroid was named after composer Johannes Brahms.[2]
Brahms orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 2 months (1,163 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Brahms was first identified as A904 RE at the discovering observatory in 1904, extending the body's observation arc by 35 years prior to its official discovery observation.[4]
As of 2017, Brahms effective size, albedo and spectral type, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown. Based on a magnitude-to-diameter conversion, its generic diameter is between 5 and 11 kilometer for an absolute magnitude of 13.8, and an assumed albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.[3] Since asteroids in the inner main-belt are typically of stony rather than carbonaceous composition, with albedos of 0.20 or higher, Brahms's diameter can be estimate to measure around 6 kilometers, as the higher its albedo (reflectivity), the lower the body's diameter at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).[3]
This minor planet is named for the German composer Johannes Brahms (1833–1897).[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 February 1976 (M.P.C. 3935).[5]
