182 Elsa

182 Elsa

A three-dimensional model of 182 Elsa based on its light curve.
Discovery
Discovered by J. Palisa
Discovery date February 7, 1878
Designations
Main belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Aphelion 2.866 AU
Perihelion 1.968 AU
2.417 AU
Eccentricity 0.186
3.76 years
Inclination 2.00°
Physical characteristics
80.088[2] hours
Albedo 0.208
Spectral type
 S[3]
9.12

    182 Elsa is a Main belt asteroid that was discovered by Johann Palisa on February 7, 1878.[4] The origin of the name is uncertain; it may be named after the character in the legend of Lohengrin perpetuated by Richard Wagner's opera of the same name. Based upon its spectrum, it is classified as a stony S-type asteroid.

    It rotates very slowly; in 1980 its rotation period (or "day") was estimated to be about 3.3 Earth days. In 2008, a collaborative effort from three different sites was used to build a complete light curve for the asteroid, which showed a period of 80.088 ± 0.002 hours with a brightness variation of 0.30 ± 0.03 in magnitude.[2] A possible companion has been proposed to explain the slow rotation.

    Elsa has very amplified lightcurve indicating an elongated or irregular body. It was one of five minor planets included in the 1993 study, Transition Comets -- UV Search for OH Emissions in Asteroids, which was research involving amateur astronomers who were permitted to make use of the Hubble Space Telescope.

    During 2002, 109 Felicitas was observed by radar from the Arecibo Observatory. The return signal matched an effective diameter of 44 ± 10 km. This is consistent with the asteroid dimensions computed through other means.[3]

    References

    1. ↑ Yeomans, Donald K., "182 Elsa", JPL Small-Body Database Browser (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), retrieved 2013-04-07.
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pilcher, Frederick et al. (April 2009), "Period Determination for 182 Elsa: A Collaboration Triumph", Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers 36 (2): 57–60 40, Bibcode:2009MPBu...36...40P.
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Magri, Christopher et al. (January 2007), "A radar survey of main-belt asteroids: Arecibo observations of 55 objects during 1999–2003", Icarus 186 (1): 126–151, Bibcode:2007Icar..186..126M, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.08.018
    4. ↑ "Numbered Minor Planets 1–5000", Discovery Circumstances (IAU Minor Planet center), retrieved 2013-04-07.