93 Minerva

93 Minerva

A three-dimensional model of 93 Minerva based on its light curve.
Discovery
Discovered by James Craig Watson
Discovery site Ann Arbor, Michigan
Discovery date 24 August 1867
Designations
Named after
Minerva
1949 QN2, A902 DA
Main belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 146.14 yr (53379 d)
Aphelion 3.1429 AU (470.17 Gm)
Perihelion 2.3711 AU (354.71 Gm)
2.7570 AU (412.44 Gm)
Eccentricity 0.13998
4.58 yr (1672.0 d)
~17.86 km/s
262.022°
 12m 55.116s / day
Inclination 8.56143°
4.06265°
274.543°
Earth MOID 1.37394 AU (205.538 Gm)
Jupiter MOID 2.05666 AU (307.672 Gm)
Jupiter Tisserand parameter 3.313
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 141.55±4.0 km (IRAS)[1]
156km (spherical)[2]
Mass 3.7×1018 kg (assumed)[3]
Mean density
1.9 g/cm³[2]
Equatorial surface gravity
4.139 cm/s2 (0.004221 g)[4]
Equatorial escape velocity
8.035 cm/s[4]
5.982 h (0.2493 d)[1]
0.0733±0.004[1]
Temperature ~168 K
C[1]
G?[2]
8.0[1]

    93 Minerva (/mˈnɜːrvə/ mi-NUR-və) is a large trinary main-belt asteroid. It is a C-type asteroid, meaning that it has a dark surface and possibly a primitive carbonaceous composition. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on August 24, 1867, and named after Minerva, the Roman equivalent of Athena, goddess of wisdom. An occultation of a star by Minerva was observed in France, Spain and the United States on November 22, 1982. An occultation diameter of ~170 km was measured from the observations. Since then two more occultations have been observed, which give an estimated mean diameter of ~150 km for diameter.[5][6]

    Satellites

    On August 16, 2009, at 13:36 UT, the Keck Observatory's adaptive optics system revealed that the asteroid 93 Minerva possesses 2 small moons.[7] They are 4 and 3 km in diameter and the projected separations from Minerva correspond to 630 km (8.8 x Rprimary) and 380 km (5.2 x Rprimary) respectively.[7] They have been named Aegis and Gorgoneion.[8]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 93 Minerva" (2011-12-29 last obs). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
    2. 1 2 3 Franck Marchis (October 7, 2011). "Is the triple Asteroid Minerva a baby-Ceres?". NASA blog (Cosmic Diary). Retrieved 2012-01-28.
    3. Using a spherical radius of 78 km; volume of a sphere * density of 1.9 g/cm³ yields a mass (m=d*v) of 3.77E+18 kg
    4. 1 2 "HEC:Exoplanets Calculator/Planet Density, Surface Gravity, and Escape Velocity". Planetary Habitability Laboratory. University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
    5. The occultation of AG+29°398 by 93 Minerva. R. L. Millis, L. H. Wasserman, E. Bowell, O. G. Franz, R. NyeW. OsbornA. Klemola
    6. Observed minor planet occultation events, version of 2005 July 26
    7. 1 2 Franck Marchis (2009-08-21). "The discovery of a new triple asteroid, (93) Minerva". Cosmic Diary Blog. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
    8. M.P.C. 86284

    External links

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