2934 Aristophanes , provisional designation , is a carbonaceous Veritasian
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...
from the outer regions of the
asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, centered on the Sun and roughly spanning the space between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids ...
, approximately 22 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the
Palomar–Leiden survey
The Palomar–Leiden survey (PLS) was a successful astronomical survey to study faint minor planets in a collaboration between the U.S Palomar Observatory and the Dutch Leiden Observatory, and resulted in the discovery of thousands of asteroids ...
in 1960, and later named after ancient Greek dramatist
Aristophanes
Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...
.
Discovery
''Aristophanes'' was discovered on 25 September 1960, by Dutch astronomers
Ingrid
Ingrid may refer to:
* Ingrid (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Ingrid Burley (born 1986), rapper known mononymously as Ingrid
* Ingrid (record label), also an artist collective
* Tropical Storm Ingrid, various cy ...
and
Cornelis van Houten
Cornelis Johannes "Kees" van Houten (18 February 1920 – 24 August 2002) was a Dutch astronomer.
Early life and education
Born in The Hague, he spent his entire career at Leiden University except for a brief period (1954–1956) as a research a ...
at Leiden, on photographic plates taken by
Tom Gehrels
Anton M.J. "Tom" Gehrels (February 21, 1925 – July 11, 2011) was a Dutch–American astronomer, Professor of Planetary Sciences, and Astronomer at the University of Arizona, Tucson.
Biography
Youth and education
Gehrels was born at Ha ...
at the
Palomar Observatory
The Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in the Palomar Mountains of San Diego County, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observat ...
, California, United States.
Palomar–Leiden survey
The
survey designation
Provisional designation in astronomy is the naming convention applied to astronomical objects immediately following their discovery. The provisional designation is usually superseded by a permanent designation once a reliable orbit has been calcu ...
stands for "Palomar–Leiden", named after Palomar Observatory and
Leiden Observatory
Leiden Observatory () is an astronomical institute of Leiden University, in the Netherlands. Established in 1633 to house the quadrant of Willebrord Snellius, it is the oldest operating university observatory in the world, with the only older sti ...
, which collaborated on the fruitful
Palomar–Leiden survey
The Palomar–Leiden survey (PLS) was a successful astronomical survey to study faint minor planets in a collaboration between the U.S Palomar Observatory and the Dutch Leiden Observatory, and resulted in the discovery of thousands of asteroids ...
in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's
Samuel Oschin telescope
The Samuel Oschin telescope (), also called the Oschin Schmidt, is a Schmidt camera at the Palomar Observatory in northern San Diego County, California, United States. It consists of a Schmidt corrector plate and a (f/2.5) mirror. The instrumen ...
(also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the
photographic plate
Photographic plates preceded film as the primary medium for capturing images in photography. These plates, made of metal or glass and coated with a light-sensitive emulsion, were integral to early photographic processes such as heliography, d ...
s to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where
astrometry
Astrometry is a branch of astronomy that involves precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other Astronomical object, celestial bodies. It provides the kinematics and physical origin of the Solar System and this galaxy, th ...
''Aristophanes'' is a member of the Veritas family (), a young
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
of carbonaceous asteroids, that formed approximately million years ago. The family is named after 490 Veritas and consists of nearly 1,300 members.
It orbits the Sun in the