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Discovery[1]
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| Discovered by | S. B. Nicholson and H. Shapley |
| Discovery site | Mount Wilson |
| Discovery date | 1916-09-06 |
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Designations
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| Alternate name(s) | 1916 f; 1985 VG6; 1991 GZ8 |
| Minor planet category |
Main belt Nysa[2] |
| Epoch 2008-05-14 (JD 2454600.5) | |
| Aphelion | 2.8942342 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.8278436 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 2.3610389 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.2258308 |
| Orbital period | 3.63 year |
| Mean anomaly | 104.08321° |
| Inclination | 2.05983° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 172.87244° |
| Argument of perihelion | 189.87119° |
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Physical characteristics
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| Dimensions | ~4 km[4] |
| Spectral type | S[2] |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.0[3] |
878 Mildred is a minor planet in the main belt orbiting the Sun. It is the lowest numbered, and thus the namesake, of the Mildred family of asteroids, a subgroup of the Nysa family.[2] The Mildred subgroup, and by extension 878 Mildred itself, is thought to have been formed by a recent fragmentation event from a larger asteroid.[2]
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878 Mildred was originally discovered in 1916 using the 1.5 m Hale Telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory, but was subsequently lost until it was again observed on single nights in 1985 and 1991 (a lost asteroid).[1] Initially only two observations of the asteroid were taken on 1916-09-06 which does not allow for an accurate orbital determination, however interest in the object prompted further investigation and more measurements were taken in late September and October.[4]
By comparing the asteroid's perceived brightness and the then computed distance from the Sun they arrived at an absolute visual magnitude of 14.3, which if one assumes Mars-like albedo gives an approximate diameter of 2 to 3 miles (3.2 to 4.8 km).[4]
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