7066 Nessus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Discovery[2] and designation
|
|
|---|---|
| Discovered by | David L. Rabinowitz |
| Discovery date | April 26, 1993 |
|
Designations
|
|
| Alternative names[1] | 1993 HA2 |
| Minor planet category |
Centaur |
| Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| Aphelion | 5607.451 Gm (37.483 AU) |
| Perihelion | 1769.167 Gm (11.826 AU) |
| Semi-major axis | 3688.309 Gm (24.655 AU) |
| Eccentricity | 0.520 |
| Orbital period | 44714.802 d (122.42 a) |
| Average orbital speed | 5.57 km/s |
| Mean anomaly | 43.762° |
| Inclination | 15.647° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 31.216° |
| Argument of perihelion | 170.814° |
| Dimensions | 53.0 km[2] |
| Mass | ~1.6×1017 kg |
| Mean density | 2.0? g/cm³ |
| Equatorial surface gravity | ~0.0148 m/s² |
| Equatorial escape velocity | ~0.0280 km/s |
| Sidereal rotation period |
? d |
| Axial tilt | ?° |
| Pole ecliptic latitude | ? |
| Pole ecliptic longitude | ? |
| Geometric albedo | 0.10? |
| Temperature | ~56 K |
| Spectral type | ? |
| Absolute magnitude | 9.6 |
7066 Nessus (pronounced /ˈnɛsəs/, from Greek: Νέσσος) is a centaur (a type of icy planetoid) that was discovered by David L. Rabinowitz, working with Spacewatch, at Kitt Peak on 26 April 1993. It was the second centaur found by him (5145 Pholus being his previous find), and the third centaur discovery (2060 Chiron was the first). It was officially announced on May 13, 1993 in IAUC 5789 with designation 1993 HA2.
[edit] Orbit
7066 Nessus has an orbital period of 122.4 years, an eccentricity of 0.52 and an inclination to the ecliptic of 15.6 degrees. At perihelion, it moves closer to the Sun than Uranus, while at aphelion it moves out past the orbit of Neptune.
[edit] Name
The naming of Nessus is an interesting break from tradition. Three astrologers were independently studying 1993 HA2 to see if it had any astrological significance. These were Zane B. Stein in the USA, and Dieter Koch and Robert Von Heeren in Germany. In separate letters to astronomers David L. Rabinowitz, Alan Stern, Jim Scotti and Dr. Brian Marsden, these astrologers suggested to name the body after the mythological centaur Nessus.
Dr. Marsden gave his support to the suggested name, and recommended it to the IAU. This name was approved, and 1993 HA2 was officially renamed 7066 Nessus on April 22, 1997. This naming was an unprecedented cooperation between astrologers and astronomers.
[edit] References
- NASA
- Spacewatch
- Asteroid/Comet connection
- The Centaur Research Project
- an account of the naming
- Nessus in astrology
- Astrological keywords for Nessus
|
|||||
 |
This article about a centaur or trans-Neptunian object is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
