Astronomy:268 Adorea

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268 Adorea
Orbital diagram
Discovery
Discovered byAlphonse Borrelly
Discovery date8 June 1887
Designations
(268) Adorea
Pronunciation/əˈdɔːriə/
Named afteradorea liba (spelt cakes)
A887 LA
Minor planet categoryMain belt (Themis)
AdjectivesAdorean /əˈdɔːriən/
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc39,920 d (109.3 yr)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}3.515 astronomical unit|AU (525.8 Gm)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.668 AU (399.2 Gm)
3.092 AU (462.5 Gm)
Eccentricity0.13689
Orbital period5.44 yr (1,985.5 d)
Mean anomaly302.257°
Mean motion0° 10m 52.748s / day
Inclination2.44010°
Longitude of ascending node120.914°
69.5742°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter144.585±0.892 km[1]
139.57±3.31 km[2]
Mass(2.228 ± 0.919/0.718)×1018 kg[2]
Mean density1.565 ± 0.645/0.505 g/cm3[2]
Rotation period7.80 h (0.325 d)
Geometric albedo0.041±0.007[1]
FC
Absolute magnitude (H)8.67[1]


268 Adorea is a very large main belt asteroid, about 140 km (87 mi) in width. It was discovered by Alphonse Borrelly on 8 June 1887 in Marseille. This asteroid is a member of the Themis family[3] and is classified as a primitive carbonaceous F-type/C-type asteroid. It is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 3.09 astronomical unit|AU with an orbital eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.14 and a period of 5.44 yr. The orbital plane is tilted at an angle of 2.44° to the plane of the ecliptic.[1]

From 23 February until 2 March 2006, photometric measurements were taken of the asteroid. These were used to produce a light curve showing a rotation period of 7.80±0.02 h with a brightness variation of 0.16±0.03 in magnitude. This result is consistent with some, but not all previous results. Some studies had suggested a longer rotation period of 15.959 h; double the time measured. However, the new data is inconsistent with the longer period.[4]

In May 1979, 268 Adorea was positioned in proximity of the galaxy NGC 4517 and as a bright new light source it was identified as a potential supernova. However, the light was missing from a second photographic plate taken ten days later, and the source was soon identified as the asteroid.[5]

The name refers to adorea liba, the Latin name for spelt cakes produced from meal and salt offered by the Romans as a sacrifice; the name was controversial among astronomers, as all previous asteroids had been named for humans or mythological figures.[6][7]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "268 Adorea". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=268;cad=1. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Fienga, A.; Avdellidou, C.; Hanuš, J. (February 2020). "Asteroid masses obtained with INPOP planetary ephemerides". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 492 (1). doi:10.1093/mnras/stz3407. https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/492/1/589/5658701. 
  3. Florczak, M. et al. (February 1999). "A spectroscopic study of the THEMIS family". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement 134 (3): 463–471. doi:10.1051/aas:1999150. Bibcode1999A&AS..134..463F. 
  4. Stephens, Robert D. (December 2006). "Asteroid lightcurve photometry from Santana and GMARS observatories - winter and spring 2006". Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers 33 (4): 100–101. Bibcode2006MPBu...33..100S. 
  5. West, R. (September 1979). "The Supernova that was not - 268 Adorea". The Messenger (18): 14. Bibcode1979Msngr..18...14W. 
  6. Schmadel, Lutz (5 August 2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783540002383. https://books.google.com/books?id=VoJ5nUyIzCsC&q=adorea&pg=PA36. 
  7. "268 Adorea". http://markandrewholmes.com/adorea.html.