279 Thule
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Johann Palisa |
| Discovery date | October 25, 1888 |
| Designations | |
| Alternative names | 1927 EC, 1954 FF, A920 GA, A923 RA[1] |
| Minor planet category | Asteroid belt (Thule) |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 27 August 2011 (JD 2455800.5) | |
| Aphelion | 4.3122281 AU |
| Perihelion | 4.2329299 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 4.2725790 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.0092799 |
| Orbital period | 8.8316810 a (3225.7715 d) |
| Mean anomaly | 182.9163° |
| Inclination | 2.33789° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 73.6201° |
| Argument of perihelion | 82.8223° |
| Proper orbital elements[1] | |
| Proper mean motion | 0.1110 deg / yr |
| Proper orbital period |
3243.24324 yr (1184594.595 d) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 126.6 ± 3.7 km (IRAS)[1] |
| Rotation period | 15.96 h[1] |
| Albedo | 0.041[1] |
| Temperature | 133 K |
| Spectral type |
B-V=0.75[1] U-B=0.32[1] D (Tholen)[1] X (SMASSII)[1] |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 8.57[1] |
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279 Thule (/ˈθjuːliː/ THEW-lee) is a large asteroid from the asteroid belt. It is classified as a D-type asteroid and is probably composed of organic-rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous silicates.
The orbit of Thule is unusual. It orbits in the outermost edge of the asteroid belt in a 4:3 orbital resonance with Jupiter.
Some astronomers have argued that Thule's present orbit is the natural result of the force of Jupiter on a body orbiting at precisely the distance from the Sun Thule does, in the same way (though with the reverse effect) as the Kirkwood gaps in the more inner parts of the asteroid belt.
Thule was the first discovered member of the Thule dynamical group which as of 2008 is known to consist of three objects: 279 Thule, (186024) 2001 QG207, and (185290) 2006 UB219.[2]
It was discovered by Johann Palisa on October 25, 1888 in Vienna and was named aptly after the ultimate northern land of Thule.
Thule was the first asteroid discovered with a semi-major axis greater than 4 AU.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 NASA/JPL Small-Body Database on 279 Thule Retrieved 2011-09-22
- ↑ Brož, M.; Vokrouhlický, D. (2008). "Asteroid families in the first-order resonances with Jupiter". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 390 (2): 715–732. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.tmp.1068B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13764.x.
External links
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Horizons Ephemeris
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