|
Discovery
|
|
|---|---|
| Discovered by | James V. Scotti, Spacewatch |
| Discovery date | February 15, 1997 |
|
Designations
|
|
| Named after | Chariclo |
| Alternate name(s) | 1997 CU26 |
| Minor planet category |
Centaur[1] |
| Epoch November 25, 2005 (JD 2453700.0) | |
| Aphelion | 18.66 AU |
| Perihelion | 13.08 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 15.87 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.17534 |
| Orbital period | 63.17 a (23,087.2 d) |
| Mean anomaly | 10.6° |
| Inclination | 23.375° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 300.451° |
| Argument of perihelion | 242.361° |
|
Physical characteristics
|
|
| Dimensions | 258.6 ± 10.3 km[2] |
| Albedo | 0.05–0.06[2] |
| Spectral type | B-V=0.84; V-R=0.50 |
| Apparent magnitude | ~18.3[3] |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 6.4[1] |
10199 Chariklo ( /kəˈrɪkloʊ/ kə-rik-loh, /ˈkærɨkloʊ/ karr-i-kloh; Greek: Χαρικλώ; provisional designation: 1997 CU26) is the largest known centaur. It orbits the Sun between Saturn and Uranus, grazing Uranus.
Chariklo was discovered by James V. Scotti of the Spacewatch program on February 15, 1997. Chariklo is named after the nymph Chariclo (Χαρικλω), the wife of Chiron and the daughter of Apollo.
A photometric study in 2001 was unable to find a definite period of rotation.[4] Infrared observations of Chariklo indicate water ice[5] on the surface.
Contents |
If one knows the absolute magnitude (H) and the albedo of an object one can estimate the size. But since centaurs are icy comet-like bodies that may outgas, it is very difficult to estimate their albedos. It is also likely that the albedos of some centaurs vary with time and activity levels.
With an absolute magnitude (H) of 6.4[1] and an albedo of 0.06,[2] Chariklo is currently the largest known centaur with an estimated diameter of 258 km.[2] 2060 Chiron (230 km / H=6.5 / albedo=0.07) is likely a close second.[2] Lost centaur 1995 SN55 (H=6.0) may even be the largest centaur with an estimated diameter of very close to 300 km.
Centaurs are believed to have originated from the Kuiper belt and are in dynamically unstable orbits that will lead either to ejection from the Solar System, an impact with a planet or the Sun, or evolution into a short-period comet.[6]
The orbit of Chariklo is more stable than Nessus, Chiron, and Pholus. Chariklo lies within 0.09 AU of the 4:3 resonance of Uranus and is estimated to have a long orbital half-life of about 10.3 Myr.[7] Twenty clones of Chariklo suggest that Chariklo will not start to regularly come within 3AU (450Gm) of Uranus for about thirty thousand years.[8]
During the perihelic oppositions of 2003-4, Chariklo had an apparent magnitude of +17.7.[9] Chariklo is currently 13.7 AU from the Sun.[3]
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
