1946 Walraven
1946 Walraven is a stony asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 8 August 1931, by Dutch astronomer Hendrik van Gent at Leiden [Southern Station], annex to the Johannesburg Observatory in South Africa, and named after astronomer Theodore Walraven.
Classification and orbit
Walraven is a stony S-type asteroid that orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.8 AU once every 3 years and 6 months. Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins one day prior to its official discovery observation.Naming
This minor planet was named in honor of astronomer and pioneer in optical instrumentation and precision photometry, Theodore Fjeda Walraven, who was a professor at the Leiden University and for many years resident astronomer at the former Leiden Southern Station near Hartbeespoortdam, South Africa.Walraven constructed special photometers for the telescopes at the station, including the 5-color photometer for which he developed the Walraven photometric system. The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 2 April 1988.