56 Melete
.png) Three-dimensional model of 56 Melete created based on light curve | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt |
| Discovery date | 9 September 1857 |
| Designations | |
| (56) Melete | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmɛlɪtiː/[1] |
Named after | Melete |
| Main belt | |
| Adjectives | Meletean /mɛlɪˈtiːən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 December 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| Aphelion | 480.683 Gm (3.213 AU) |
| Perihelion | 295.717 Gm (1.977 AU) |
Semi-major axis | 388.200 Gm (2.595 AU) |
| Eccentricity | 0.238 |
| 1526.839 d (4.18 a) | |
| 267.781° | |
| Inclination | 8.072° |
| 193.478° | |
Argument of perihelion | 103.648° |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 113.2 km[2] |
| Mass | (4.61 ± 0.00) × 1018 kg[3] |
Mean density | 6.00 ± 1.31[3] g/cm3 |
| 18.1 hr[2] | |
| 0.065[2][4] | |
| P[2] | |
| 8.31[2] | |
56 Melete is a large and dark main-belt asteroid. It is a rather unusual P-type asteroid, probably composed of organic-rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous silicates, with possible internal water ice. The asteroid orbits the Sun with a period of 4.18 years.
Melete was discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt from his balcony in Paris, on 9 September 1857. Its orbit was computed by E. Schubert, who named it after Melete, the Muse of meditation in Greek mythology.[5] It was originally confused for 41 Daphne before it was confirmed not to be by its second sighting on 27 August 1871.[6] In 1861, the brightness of 56 Melete was shown to vary by German astronomer Friedrich Tietjen.[7]
Melete has been studied by radar.[8] Photometric observations of this asteroid at the Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2007 gave a light curve with a period of 18.151 ± 0.002 hours and a brightness variation of 0.15 ± 0.02 in magnitude. This result is in agreement with a period of 18.1 hours independently reported in 1993 and 2007.[9]
To date, two stellar occultations by Melete have been observed successfully (in 1997 and again in 2002).
References
- ^ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
- ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 56 Melete" (2011-07-01 last obs). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ a b Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, vol. 73, pp. 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009. See Table 1.
- ^ "Asteroid Data Sets". Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2007.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 20. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
- ^ Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events of the year: 1862. New York: D. Appleton & Company. 1863. p. 173.
- ^ Harwood, Margaret (December 1924), "Variations in the Light of Asteroids", Harvard College Observatory Circular, vol. 269, pp. 1–15, Bibcode:1924HarCi.269....1H.
- ^ "Radar-Detected Asteroids and Comets". NASA/JPL Asteroid Radar Research. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ Warner, Brian D. (December 2007), "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory - March–May 2007", The Minor Planet Bulletin, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 104–107, Bibcode:2007MPBu...34..104W.
External links
- Lightcurve plot of 56 Melete, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2007)
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 56 Melete at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 56 Melete at the JPL Small-Body Database