3047 Goethe

It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer couple Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomer Tom Gehrels at the Palomar Observatory in California, United States.

[1] The asteroid was named after German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Gehrels used Palomar's Samuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped the photographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory where astrometry was carried out.

[5] This minor planet was named after German poet and playwright Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832).

[1] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 29 September 1985 (M.P.C.