It orbits the Sun in the outermost main-belt at a distance of 2.9–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 10 months (2,121 days; semi-major axis of 3.23 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.10 and an inclination of 21° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
The body's observation arc begins with its first identification as 1948 VE at Uccle Observatory in November 1948, almost five years prior to its official discovery observation at Goethe.[10]
A rotational lightcurve of Lowengrub was reported in 1996 and obtained from
photometric observations by group of French astronomers in the early 1990s. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 9.764 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.40 magnitude (U=3).[9]
The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for carbonaceous asteroids of 0.057 and derives a diameter of 32.78 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 11.17.[3]
Naming
This minor planet was named after American mathematician Morton Lowengrub, dean, professor and administrator at Indiana University. The naming took place on the occasion of the completion of the WIYN Observatory with its 3.5-meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Lowengrub was instrumental for the planning and construction of the WIYN and was a charter member of the WIYN Board of Governors [2]
Lowengrub has authored several books on mathematics including "Crack problems in the classical theory of elasticity" (1969) together with Scottish mathematician Ian Sneddon. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 14 May 1995 (M.P.C. 25229).[12]
^ abcdUsui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)