Astronomy:464 Megaira

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Short description: Main-belt asteroid
464 Megaira
Discovery [1]
Discovered byM. F. Wolf
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date9 January 1901
Designations
(464) Megaira
Pronunciation/mɪˈɡaɪərə/ (Megaira)
/mɪˈdʒɪərə/ (Megaera)[6]
Named afterMegaera
(Greek mythology)[2]
A901 AB · 1929 AH
A912 JB · A912 JC
A916 FD · 1901 FV
Minor planet category
Orbital characteristics [3]
Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc119.07 yr (43,489 d)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}3.3764 AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.2248 AU
2.8006 AU
Eccentricity0.2056
Orbital period4.69 yr (1,712 d)
Mean anomaly253.43°
Mean motion0° 12m 37.08s / day
Inclination10.170°
Longitude of ascending node102.37°
258.19°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
  • 74.04±5.9 km[7]
  • 77.056±0.450 km[8]
  • 79.28±1.16 km[9]
Rotation period12.879±0.001 h[10]
Geometric albedo
  • 0.045±0.002[9]
  • 0.046±0.011[8]
  • 0.0502±0.009[7]
Absolute magnitude (H)9.7[1][3]


464 Megaira (prov. designation: A901 AB or 1901 FV) is a dark and large background asteroid, approximately 77 kilometers (48 miles) in diameter, located in the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany on 9 January 1901.[1] The carbonaceous C-type asteroid (FX) has a rotation period of 12.9 hours. It was named after Megaera from Greek mythology.[2]

Orbit and classification

Megaira is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population when applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements.[4][5] It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.2–3.4 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,712 days; semi-major axis of 2.8 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic.[3] The body's observation arc begins at Heidelberg Observatory with its official discovery observation on 9 January 1901.[1]

Naming

This minor planet was named after Megaera, the avenging spirit from Greek mythology. She is one of the three Erinyes (Furies), who bring retribution on those guilty of sins. The naming was also mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 50).[2] It was the first numbered minor planet detected in the 20th century.[2]

Physical characteristics

In the Tholen classification-SMASS classification, Megaira is closest to a dark F-type asteroid, and somewhat similar to an X-type, though with an unusual (U) and noisy spectra (:).[3] In the Bus–Binzel SMASS classification it is a common carbonaceous C-type asteroid.

Rotation period

In March 2019, a rotational lightcurve of Megaira was obtained from photometric observations by Frederick Pilcher. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 12.879±0.001 hours with a brightness variation of 0.12±0.01 magnitude ({{{1}}}).[10] The result supersedes previously published period determinations.[11][12][13]

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Megaira measures between 55.09 and 85.50 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.03 and 0.06.[5][7][8][9][14] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link takes an albedo of 0.0469 from Petr Pravec's revised WISE data and calculates a diameter of 78.29 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 9.47.[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "464 Megaira (A901 AB)". Minor Planet Center. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=464. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(464) Megaira". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 52. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_465. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 464 Megaira (A901 AB)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2000464. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Asteroid 464 Megaira – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. https://newton.spacedys.com/astdys/index.php?pc=1.1.6&n=464. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Asteroid 464 Megaira". Small Bodies Data Ferret. https://sbntools.psi.edu/ferret/SimpleSearch/results.action?targetName=464+Megaira. 
  6. ↑ "Megaera". Megaera. Oxford University Press. http://www.lexico.com/definition/Megaera. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System 12: IRAS-A-FPA-3-RDR-IMPS-V6.0. Bibcode: 2004PDSS...12.....T. https://sbnarchive.psi.edu/pds3/iras/IRAS_A_FPA_3_RDR_IMPS_V6_0/data/diamalb.tab. Retrieved 11 March 2020. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Mainzer, A. K.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Grav, T.; Kramer, E. A.; Masiero, J. R. et al. (June 2016). "NEOWISE Diameters and Albedos V1.0". NASA Planetary Data System. Bibcode: 2016PDSS..247.....M. https://sbnarchive.psi.edu/pds3/non_mission/EAR_A_COMPIL_5_NEOWISEDIAM_V1_0/data/neowise_mainbelt.tab. Retrieved 11 March 2020. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan 63 (5): 1117–1138. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. Bibcode: 2011PASJ...63.1117U.  (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Pilcher, Frederick (July 2019). "Rotation Period Determinations for 58 Concordia, 384 Burdigala, 464 Megaira, 488 Kreusa, and 491 Carina". Minor Planet Bulletin 46 (3): 360–363. ISSN 1052-8091. Bibcode: 2019MPBu...46..360P. http://www.minorplanet.info/MPB/issues/MPB_46-3.pdf. 
  11. ↑ Behrend, Raoul. "Asteroids and comets rotation curves – (464) Megaira". Geneva Observatory. http://obswww.unige.ch/~behrend/page2cou.html#000464. 
  12. ↑ Polakis, Tom (July 2019). "Lightcurves of Twelve Main-Belt Minor Planets". Minor Planet Bulletin 46 (3): 287–292. ISSN 1052-8091. Bibcode: 2019MPBu...46..287P. http://www.minorplanet.info/MPB/issues/MPB_46-3.pdf. 
  13. ↑ Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry". The Astronomical Journal 150 (3): 35. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Bibcode: 2015AJ....150...75W. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "LCDB Data for (464) Megaira". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). http://www.minorplanet.info/PHP/generateOneAsteroidInfo.php?AstInfo=464. 

External links

vec:Lista de asteroidi#464 Megaira



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