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(4149) Harrison

Minor planet number 4149 has been named in honor of former Beatle George Harrison.

The citation announcing the naming appeared on Minor Planet Circular 16248 (issued on 1990 Apr. 10), from which the following is extracted with permission:

(4149) Harrison = 1984 EZ                                                       
     Discovered 1984 Mar. 9 by B. A. Skiff at the Anderson Mesa Station of      
the Lowell Observatory.                                                         
     Named in honor of George Harrison (1943--    ), the quiet Beatle.          
Although overshadowed by John and Paul as composers while in The Beatles,       
George wrote several songs for the group, including `While My Guitar Gently     
Weeps' and `Something'.  Since The Beatles disbanded, George has undertaken     
many projects in addition to his solo recording career; notably his film        
company, HandMade Films.  In 1971 he organized a star-studded charity           
concert for the relief of famine in Bangladesh, and many of his songs have      
reflected his concern for the environment.                                      
Read about how minor planets are named.


About (4149) Harrison

(4149) Harrison is in a 4.35-year elliptical orbit around the sun ranging in distance from 348.3 million km (at perihelion, closest point to the sun) to 448.9 million km (at aphelion, furthest point from the sun).

The next perihelion passage will occur on 2010 Oct. 31.7 UT.

The orbit is inclined by 12.9 degrees to the ecliptic plane (the plane of the earth's orbit about the sun).

There is little information on the physical properties of (4149) Harrison. Even its diameter is uncertain--a range of 9 to 21 km is probable.

You will need a telescope to see this minor planet as its maximum brightness is some 1/3168 of the brightness of the faintest objects that can be seen with the unaided eye.

The diagram below show the orbit of (4149) Harrison in relation to the major planets in the inner solar system.

Orbit diagram

This view of the inner solar system is seen from the north ecliptic pole. The sun is the yellow star at the center of the image. The blue orbits represent, in increasing distance from the center, the major planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. The position of each major planet at the date indicated at the bottom of the plot is shown by the large circled cross. The orbit of the minor planet is shown in red, with the location of the minor planet (at the date indicated at the bottom of the plot) shown as a white circled cross. From this vantage point the planets revolve around the sun in a counter clockwise direction. The vernal equinox is off to the right. The portion of the minor planet's orbit that is below the plane of the earth's orbit is shaded grey. The perihelion point of the minor planet's orbit is at the end of the white straight line through the sun indicated by "P".

Also available is information on provisional designations.

Where is (4149) Harrison tonight? Customisable ephemerides are available.

George Harrison died on 2001 Novemeber 29.


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