Astronomy:269 Justitia

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Short description: Main-belt asteroid
269 Justitia
Орбита астероида 269.png
Orbital diagram
Discovery
Discovered byJohann Palisa
Discovery date21 September 1887
Designations
(269) Justitia
Pronunciation/ʌˈstɪʃiə/[1]
Named afterJustitia
A887 SA, 1942 XY
Minor planet categoryMain belt
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc126.16 yr (46080 d)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}3.17477 astronomical unit|AU (474.939 Gm)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.0555 AU (307.50 Gm)
2.61515 AU (391.221 Gm)
Eccentricity0.21399
Orbital period4.23 yr (1544.7 d)
Mean anomaly219.582°
Mean motion0° 13m 59.016s / day
Inclination5.4799°
Longitude of ascending node156.759°
119.62°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions53.62±1.3 km
Rotation period33.128 h (1.3803 d)
Geometric albedo0.0974±0.005
Absolute magnitude (H)9.7


Justitia (minor planet designation: 269 Justitia) is a fairly sizeable main belt asteroid around 50 km in diameter

It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 21 September 1887 in Vienna.

The asteroid was named after Justitia, the Roman equivalent of Themis, the Greek goddess of justice (she also has an asteroid named after her, 24 Themis).

As discovered in 2021, the asteroid has a very red color due to tholins on its surface, similar to trans-Neptunian objects. It is therefore thought to have formed in the outer Solar System despite its current orbit within the asteroid belt.[3]

The asteroid will be visited by the United Arab Emirates' MBR Explorer mission, which will attempt to land on its surface in 2034.[4][5]

References

  1. justitium (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, September 2005, http://oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=justitium  (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. "269 Justitia". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=269;cad=1. 
  3. Hasegawa, Sunao; Marsset, Michaël; Demeo, Francesca E.; Bus, Schelte J.; Geem, Jooyeon; Ishiguro, Masateru; Im, Myungshin; Kuroda, Daisuke et al. (2021), "Discovery of two TNO-like bodies in the asteroid belt", The Astrophysical Journal Letters 916 (1): L6, doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ac0f05, Bibcode2021ApJ...916L...6H 
  4. "UAE announces space mission to land MBR Explorer on asteroid 5 billion kilometres away". Arabian Business. 29 May 2023. https://www.arabianbusiness.com/gcc/uae/uae-announces-space-mission-to-land-mbr-explorer-on-asteroid-5-billion-kilometres-away. Retrieved 14 June 2023. 
  5. "Touring Through the Asteroid Belt: United Arab Emirates Unveils Bold Mission". SpaceRef. 29 May 2023. https://spaceref.com/science-and-exploration/touring-asteroid-belt-united-arab-emirates-unveils-bold-mission/. Retrieved 14 June 2023. 

External links