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2003 Harding
Discovery
Discovered by	C. J. van Houten; I. van Houten-G.; T. Gehrels
Discovery site	Palomar Obs.
Discovery date	24 September 1960
Designations
MPC designation	(2003) Harding
Named after	Karl Harding; (German astronomer)
Alternative designations	6559 P-L · 1934 XH; 1941 BH · 1952 BP; 1952 DT · 1971 SU1; 1972 YT · 1973 AG1
Minor planet category	main-belt · (outer)
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	82.47 yr (30,122 days)
Aphelion	3.4477 AU
Perihelion	2.6723 AU
Semi-major axis	3.0600 AU
Eccentricity	0.1267
Orbital period (sidereal)	5.35 yr (1,955 days)
Mean anomaly	98.138°
Mean motion	0° 11m 2.76s / day
Inclination	1.8693°
Longitude of ascending node	64.474°
Argument of perihelion	70.697°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	20.173±0.112
Synodic rotation period	2.96 h (0.123 d)
Geometric albedo	0.065±0.005
Spectral type	C
Absolute magnitude (H)	12.0

2003 Harding, provisional designation 6559 P-L, is a carbonaceous Eoan asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 18 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered during the Palomar–Leiden survey on 24 September 1960, by astronomers Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden, and Tom Gehrels at Palomar, California.^[6] The asteroid was later named after astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding.^[2]

Orbit and characterization

The asteroid is a member of the Eos family.^[4] Orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.7–3.4 AU once every 5 years and 4 months, the asteroid's path is nearly coplanar to the plane of the ecliptic with an orbital inclination of less than 2 degrees. It has a short rotation period of three hours.^[1]

The survey designation "P-L" stands for Palomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory and Leiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitful Palomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery of several thousand asteroid discoveries.^[7]

Naming

The asteroid is named after German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding (1765–1834), who discovered the minor planet 3 Juno. He is also honored by the lunar crater Harding.^[2] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 October 1977 (M.P.C. 4238).^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2003 Harding (6559 P-L)" (2017-06-02 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(2003) Harding". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (2003) Harding. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 162. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_2004. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
^ ^a ^b Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Dailey, J.; et al. (November 2011). "Main Belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE. I. Preliminary Albedos and Diameters". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 20. arXiv:1109.4096. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...68M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/68. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
^ ^a ^b Alvarez-Candal, Alvaro; Duffard, René; Angeli, Cláudia A.; Lazzaro, Daniela; Fernández, Silvia (December 2004). "Rotational lightcurves of asteroids belonging to families". Icarus. 172 (2): 388–401. Bibcode:2004Icar..172..388A. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.06.008. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
^ "LCDB Data for (2003) Harding". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 17 June 2017.
^ "2003 Harding (6559 P-L)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
^ "Minor Planet Discoverers". Minor Planet Center. 24 April 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
^ Schmadel, Lutz D. "Appendix – Publication Dates of the MPCs". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – Addendum to Fifth Edition (2006–2008). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 221. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-01965-4. ISBN 978-3-642-01964-7.