259 Aletheia
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| Discovery A | |
|---|---|
| Discoverer | C. H. F. Peters |
| Discovery date | June 28, 1886 |
| Alternate designations B |
1947 LD |
| Category | Main belt |
| Orbital elements C | |
|
|
|
| Eccentricity (e) | 0.121 |
| Semi-major axis (a) | 469.814 Gm (3.141 AU) |
| Perihelion (q) | 412.767 Gm (2.759 AU) |
| Aphelion (Q) | 526.86 Gm (3.522 AU) |
| Orbital period (P) | 2032.78 d (5.57 a) |
| Mean orbital speed | 16.81 km/s |
| Inclination (i) | 10.815° |
| Longitude of the ascending node (Ω) |
87.151° |
| Argument of perihelion (ω) |
168.896° |
| Mean anomaly (M) | 116.287° |
| Physical characteristics D | |
| Dimensions | 179.0 km |
| Mass | unknown |
| Density | unknown |
| Surface gravity | unknown |
| Escape velocity | unknown |
| Rotation period | 15 h |
| Spectral class | CP |
| Absolute magnitude | 7.76 |
| Albedo (geometric) | 0.043 |
| Mean surface temperature |
unknown |
259 Aletheia is a very large Main belt asteroid. It is composed of primitive carbonaceous materials and is very dark in colour, darker than coal.[citation needed]
It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on June 28, 1886 in Clinton, New York.
It is named after the Greek goddess Aletheia.[1]
Richard P. Binzel and Schelte Bus further added to the knowledge about this asteroid in a lightwave survey published in 2003. This project was known as Small Main-belt Asteroid Spectroscopic Survey, Phase II or SMASSII, which built on a previous survey of the main-belt asteroids. The visible-wavelength (0.435-0.925 micrometre) spectra data was gathered between August 1993 and March 1999.[2] [3]
Lightcurve data has also been recorded by observers at the Antelope Hill Observatory, which has been designated as an official observatory by the Minor Planet Center.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Schmadel Lutz D. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (fifth edition), Springer, 2003. ISBN-10: 3540002383.
- ^ Bus, S., Binzel, R. P. Small Main-belt Asteroid Spectroscopic Survey, Phase II. EAR-A-I0028-4-SBN0001/SMASSII-V1.0. NASA Planetary Data System, 2003.
- ^ JPL Small-Body Database Browser
- ^ Lightcurve Results
- The Asteroid Orbital Elements Database
- Minor Planet Discovery Circumstances
- Asteroid Lightcurve Data File
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