5656 Oldfield

5656 Oldfield, provisional designation A920 TA, is a background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7.7 kilometers (4.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 8 October 1920, by astronomer Walter Baade at the Bergedorf Observatory in Hamburg, Germany. The asteroid was named for English musician Mike Oldfield.^[1]

5656 Oldfield

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	W. Baade
Discovery site	Bergedorf Obs.
Discovery date	8 October 1920
Designations
MPC designation	(5656) Oldfield
Named after	Mike Oldfield[1] (English musician)
Alternative designations	A920 TA · 1978 WW18 1981 JZ5
Minor planet category	main-belt[1][2] · (inner) background[3]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	97.29 yr (35,536 d)
Aphelion	3.1076 AU
Perihelion	1.8111 AU
Semi-major axis	2.4594 AU
Eccentricity	0.2636
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.86 yr (1,409 d)
Mean anomaly	125.66°
Mean motion	0° 15m 19.8s / day
Inclination	4.0144°
Longitude of ascending node	248.67°
Argument of perihelion	83.725°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	7.691±0.051 km[4]
Geometric albedo	0.075±0.009[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	14.1[2]

Orbit and classification

Oldfield is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population.^[3] It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–3.1 AU once every 3 years and 10 months (1,409 days; semi-major axis of 2.46 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.26 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.^[2]

The body's observation arc begins at Bergedorf two nights after its official discovery observation.^[1]

Physical characteristics

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Oldfield measures 7.691 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.075.^[4]

Rotation period

As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Oldfield has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, poles and shape remain unknown.^[2]

Naming

This minor planet was named after English composer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield (born 1953), creator of the famed Tubular Bells albums.^[1] The official naming citation was proposed by Gareth V. Williams and published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 April 1994 (M.P.C. 23353).^[5]