(3949) Mach Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 20 October 1985 by A. Mrkos at Klet.
Named in memory of Ernst Mach (1838-1916), professor of physics at the universities of Graz and Prague and later professor of philosophy in Vienna. He made investigations on supersonic motion, explosions, electric sparks and philosophical positivism, and the Mach number and Mach's principle are forever associated with his name. Name suggested by J. Ticha and M. Šolc.Naming citation (19960828/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mach is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mach is 2.14 au from the Sun and 3.13 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 3949 |
| Provisional designation | 1985 UL |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Spectral type | Sq |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 13.52 |
| Orbital period | 3.28 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.21 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.14 – 2.28 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0323 |
| Inclination | 3.78° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.14 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Ernst
- (5053) Chladni
- (11042) Ernstweber
- (11043) Pepping
- (12323) Haeckel
- (13086) Sauerbruch
- (14990) Zermelo
- (16441) Kirchner
- (16714) Arndt
- (20016) Rietschel
- (25628) Kummer
- (112328) Klinkerfues
- (173002) Dorfi
All asteroids named after someone called Ernst
Also discovered on 20 October 1985
- (3395) Jitka
- (4339) Almamater
- (7232) Nabokov
- (7742) Altamira
- (9551) Kazi
- (9934) Caccioppoli
- (14348) Cumming
- (17402) Valeryshuvalov
More named asteroids discovered by A. Mrkos
- (2199) Klet
- (2304) Slavia
- (2325) Chernykh
- (2367) Praha
- (2403) Sumava
- (2404) Antarctica
- (2552) Remek
- (2559) Svoboda
- (2747) Cesky Krumlov
- (2811) Stremchovi
- (2889) Brno
- (2936) Nechvile
← (3948) Bohr · (3950) Yoshida →