1093 Freda is a main‑belt asteroid (minor planet) that orbits the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on 13 February 1928 by the German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in Germany. The asteroid was subsequently assigned the permanent number 1093 and the name “Freda,” a feminine personal name; the precise reason for this particular naming has not been documented in widely available sources.
Orbital characteristics (epoch J2000)
- Semi‑major axis: ≈ 2.77 AU
- Orbital period: ≈ 4.6 years (≈ 1 680 days)
- Eccentricity: ≈ 0.20
- Inclination: ≈ 5.0° to the ecliptic
- Mean anomaly, longitude of ascending node, argument of perihelion: values defined for the given epoch (available in asteroid databases such as the JPL Small‑Body Database).
Physical properties
- Absolute magnitude (H): ≈ 10.2, indicating a moderate reflectivity.
- Estimated diameter: ~ 30 km, derived from infrared observations and the assumed albedo.
- Spectral type / composition: Not definitively classified; observations suggest a carbon‑rich (C‑type) or similar low‑albedo composition, but the spectral taxonomy remains unspecified in major catalogs.
Naming
The asteroid’s name “Freda” conforms to Reinmuth’s practice of assigning female personal names to his discoveries. No official citation explaining the choice of “Freda” has been published by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, and thus the specific honoree (if any) remains unidentified.
Observational history
Since its discovery, 1093 Freda has been regularly observed over multiple oppositions, allowing precise determination of its orbital parameters. It is classified as a non‑family background asteroid of the main belt, meaning it does not belong to a recognized collisional family.
References
- JPL Small‑Body Database Browser, 1093 Freda.
- Minor Planet Center, “Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1001)–(1500).”
This entry summarizes the currently documented astronomical data for 1093 Freda; where details are unavailable or uncertain, the lack of information is noted accordingly.
