(48472) Mossbauer Main-belt Asteroid
Discovered on 2 October 1991 by Borngen, F., Schmadel, L. D. at Tautenburg.
German Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer (b. 1929) received with R. Hofstadter the Nobel Prize in physics in 1961 for his discovery of the recoil-free γ-ray resonance absorption (Mössbauer effect), which has wide application in nuclear physics, solid-state physics and chemistry.Naming citation (20030318/MPCPages.arc), IAU / Minor Planet Center, via NASA/JPL
Where Mossbauer is today
Seen from above the solar system on 2026-10-14: Mossbauer is 2.45 au from the Sun and 1.99 au from Earth. Computed from JPL's orbital elements.
Facts
| Number | 48472 |
| Provisional designation | 1991 TJ6 |
| Orbit class | Main-belt Asteroid |
| Diameter | 2.40 km (#16,460 largest of 17,440 named asteroids with a measured size) |
| Albedo | 0.337 |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.18 |
| Orbital period | 3.54 years |
| Semi-major axis | 2.32 au |
| Perihelion – aphelion | 2.18 – 2.47 au |
| Eccentricity | 0.0618 |
| Inclination | 5.26° |
| Closest distance between its orbit and Earth's (MOID) | 1.19 au |
Data: NASA/JPL Small-Body Database and the IAU Minor Planet Center.
Also named after someone called Ludwig
- (8055) Arnim
- (8056) Tieck
- (10955) Harig
- (17484) Ganghofer
- (24666) Miesvanrohe
- (24712) Boltzmann
- (25029) Ludwighesse
- (29185) Reich
- (73640) Biermann
- (243109) Hansludwig
All asteroids named after someone called Ludwig
Also discovered on 2 October 1991
- (6865) Dunkerley
- (8371) Goven
- (9351) Neumayer
- (17488) Mantl
- (17489) Trenker
- (20017) Alixcatherine
- (26842) Hefele
- (29214) Apitzsch
- (30851) Reissfelder
- (30852) Debye
- (69295) Stecklum
- (85198) Weltenburg