Astronomy:40 Harmonia
.png) A three-dimensional model of 40 Harmonia based on its light curve | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | H. Goldschmidt |
| Discovery date | March 31, 1856 |
| Designations | |
| (40) Harmonia | |
| Pronunciation | /hɑːrˈmoʊniə/[1] |
| Named after | Harmonia |
| 1950 XU | |
| Minor planet category | Main belt |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| |{{{apsis}}}|helion}} | 355.021 Gm (2.373 AU) |
| |{{{apsis}}}|helion}} | 323.537 Gm (2.163 AU) |
| 339.279 Gm (2.268 AU) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.046 |
| Orbital period | 1,247.514 d (3.42 a) |
| Mean anomaly | 249.120° |
| Inclination | 4.256° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 94.287° |
| 268.988° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 107.6 km |
| Mass | ~1.3×1018 kg |
| Rotation period | 0.3712 d (8.909 h)[3] |
| Geometric albedo | 0.242[4] |
| S | |
| Apparent magnitude | 9.31 (brightest) |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 7.0 |
Harmonia (minor planet designation: 40 Harmonia) is a large main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by German-French astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt on March 31, 1856,[5] and named after Harmonia, the Greek goddess of harmony. The name was chosen to mark the end of the Crimean War.
The asteroid is orbiting the Sun with a period of 3.42 years and a relatively low eccentricity of 0.046. It has a cross-sectional size of 107.6 km. The spectrum of 40 Harmonia matches an S-type (silicate) in the Tholen classification system, and is similar to primitive achondrite meteorites.[6] Photometric observations at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico during 2008–09 were used to generate a light curve that showed four unequal minima and maxima per cycle. The curve shows a period of 8.909 ± 0.001 hours with a brightness variation of 0.28 ± 0.02 in magnitude. This result is compatible with previous studies.[3]
Speckle interferometric observations carried out with the Nicholas U. Mayall Telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory during 1982–84 failed to discover a satellite companion.[7] In 1988 a search for satellites or dust orbiting this asteroid was performed using the UH88 telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatories, but the effort came up empty.[8]
References
- ↑ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
- ↑ Yeomans, Donald K., "40 Harmonia", JPL Small-Body Database Browser (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=40, retrieved 2013-04-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pilcher, Frederick (October 2009), "New Lightcurves of 8 Flora, 13 Egeria, 14 Irene, 25 Phocaea 40 Harmonia, 74 Galatea, and 122 Gerda", The Minor Planet Bulletin 36 (4): pp. 133–136, Bibcode: 2009MPBu...36..133P.
- ↑ Asteroid Data Archive, Planetary Science Institute, http://www.psi.edu/pds/archive/astdata04/simps04/diamalb.tab, retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ↑ "Numbered Minor Planets 1–5000", Discovery Circumstances (IAU Minor Planet center), https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/NumberedMPs000001.html, retrieved 2013-04-07.
- ↑ Hiroi, T. et al. (March 1993), "Modeling of S-type asteroid spectra using primitive achondrites and iron meteorites", Icarus 102 (1): pp. 107–116, doi:10.1006/icar.1993.1036, Bibcode: 1993Icar..102..107H.
- ↑ Roberts, Lewis C. Jr. et al. (November 1995), "A Speckle Interferometric Survey for Asteroid Duplicity", Astronomical Journal 110: pp. 2463–2468, doi:10.1086/117704, Bibcode: 1995AJ....110.2463R.
- ↑ Gradie, J.; Flynn, L. (March 1988), "A Search for Satellites and Dust Belts Around Asteroids: Negative Results", Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 19: pp. 405–406, Bibcode: 1988LPI....19..405G.
External links
- 40 Harmonia at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 40 Harmonia at the JPL Small-Body Database
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