233 Asterope

Asterope (minor planet designation: 233 Asterope) is a large main-belt asteroid that was discovered on 11 May 1883, by French astronomer Alphonse Borrelly at Marseille Observatory in Marseille, France. The asteroid was named after Asterope (or Sterope), one of the Pleiades.

233 Asterope
Discovery
Discovered byA. Borrelly
Discovery siteMarseille Obs.
Discovery date11 May 1883
Designations
(233) Asterope
Pronunciation/əˈstɛrəpiː/[1]
Named after
Sterope
Main belt
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc118.65 yr (43337 d)
Aphelion2.9271 AU (437.89 Gm)
Perihelion2.3927 AU (357.94 Gm)
2.6599 AU (397.92 Gm)
Eccentricity0.10044
4.34 yr (1584.5 d)
138.789°
0° 13m 37.92s / day
Inclination7.6832°
222.017°
125.128°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions102.78±7.9 km
19.70 h (0.821 d)
0.0870±0.015
Tholen = T [2]
SMASS = K [2]
8.21[2]

    This asteroid is orbiting the Sun with a semimajor axis of 2.66 AU, a period of 4.34 years, and an eccentricity of 0.10. The orbital plane is inclined by 7.68° to the plane of the ecliptic. It is a rare T-type asteroid[3] and has a relatively dark surface. The spectrum of 233 Asterope bears a resemblance to Troilite, a sulfurous iron mineral found in most iron meteorites.[4]

    Photometric observations during 1995 show a rotation period of 19.743 hours.[3] Measurements made with the IRAS observatory give a diameter of 109.56 ± 5.04 km and a geometric albedo of 0.08 ± 0.01. By comparison, the MIPS photometer on the Spitzer Space Telescope gives a diameter of 97.54 ± 10.32 km and a geometric albedo of 0.10 ± 0.01.[5]

    References
    1. Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
    2. "233 Asterope". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
    3. Piironen, J.; et al. (March 1998), "Physical studies of asteroids. XXXII. Rotation periods and UBVRI-colours for selected asteroids", Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement, 128 (3): 525–540, Bibcode:1998A&AS..128..525P, doi:10.1051/aas:1998393
    4. Britt, D. T.; et al. (July 1992), "The Reflectance Spectrum of Troilite and the T-Type Asteroids", Meteoritics, 27 (3): 207, Bibcode:1992Metic..27Q.207B
    5. Ryan, Erin Lee; et al. (April 2012), "The Kilometer-Sized Main Belt Asteroid Population as Revealed by Spitzer", arXiv:1204.1116 [astro-ph.EP]


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