2145 Blaauw, provisional designation , is a dark Ursula
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
from the outer regions of the
asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies, of many sizes, but much smaller than planets, called ...
, approximately 38 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 October 1976, by astronomer
Richard Martin West
Richard Martin West (born 1941) is a Danish astronomer and discoverer of astronomical objects with a long career at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and at the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
He discovered numerous comets, includi ...
at the
La Silla Observatory
La Silla Observatory is an astronomy, astronomical observatory in Chile with three telescopes built and operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Several other telescopes are located at the site and are partly maintained by ESO. The obse ...
in northern Chile. The asteroid was named after Dutch astronomer
Adriaan Blaauw
Adriaan Blaauw (12 April 1914 – 1 December 2010) was a Dutch astronomer.
Blaauw was born in Amsterdam to Cornelis Blaauw and Gesina Clasina Zwart, and studied at Leiden University and the University of Groningen, obtaining his doctorate at the ...
.
Orbit and classification
''Blaauw'' is a member of the Ursula family (), a large
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
X-type asteroid The X-group of asteroids collects together several types with similar spectra, but probably quite different compositions.
Tholen classification
In the Tholen classification the X-group consists of the following types:
* E-type – with high al ...
s, named after its parent body, 375 Ursula. It orbits the Sun in the