(1987) Kaplan Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 11 September 1952 by P. F. Shajn at Simeis.
Named in memory of Samuil Aronovich Kaplan (1921-1978), head of the astrophysics department at the Lvov Observatory from 1948 to 1961 and subsequently a staff member of the Scientific Research Radiophysics Institute in Gorkij. He contributed extensively to a wide range of astrophysical topics, including white dwarfs, interstellar matter, radiative transfer, solar radiation, pulsars and galactic nuclei.Naming citation (MPC 5358), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Kaplan is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Kaplan is 2.13 au from the Sun and 1.71 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 1987 |
| Provisional designation | 1952 RH |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 13.0 km (#3,715 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.262 |
| Rotation period | 9.45 hours |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 11.72 |
| Orbital period | 3.68 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.38 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 1.84 – 2.92 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.227 |
| Inclination | 23.6° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 0.868 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
More named asteroids discovered by P. F. Shajn
- (1112) Polonia
- (1113) Katja
- (1120) Cannonia
- (1121) Natascha
- (1369) Ostanina
- (1387) Kama
- (1390) Abastumani
- (1475) Yalta
- (1610) Mirnaya
- (1648) Shajna
- (1654) Bojeva
- (1735) ITA
← (1986) Plaut · (1988) Delores →