250 Bettina

250 Bettina

A three-dimensional model of 250 Bettina based on its light curve.
Discovery
Discovered by Johann Palisa
Discovery date September 3, 1885
Designations
Main belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 30 January 2005 (JD 2453400.5)
Aphelion 530.06 Gm (3.543 AU)
Perihelion 412.522 Gm (2.758 AU)
471.291 Gm (3.15 AU)
Eccentricity 0.125
2042.375 d (5.59 a)
16.78 km/s
37.531°
Inclination 12.844°
24.1°
75.087°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 80.0 km
5.055[2] h
Albedo 0.258
Spectral type
 M
7.58

    250 Bettina is a large main belt asteroid that was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on September 3, 1885 in Vienna. It was named in honour of Baroness Bettina von Rothschild, the wife of the prominent Viennese banker Albert Salomon von Rothschild who had bought the naming rights for £50.[3] Based upon the spectrum, it is classified as an M-type asteroid.

    In 1988, the asteroid was observed from the Collurania-Teramo Observatory, allowing a light curve to be produced that showed "an irregular behavior with a deeper minimum and a narrower maximum". The data showed a rotation period of 5.055 hours and a brightness variation of 0.17 ± 0.01 in magnitude. The ratio of the lengths of the major to minor axes for this asteroid were found to be 1.51 ± 0.03.[2]

    References

    1. ↑ Yeomans, Donald K., "250 Bettina", JPL Small-Body Database Browser (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), retrieved 2013-03-25.
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dotto, E. et al. (June 1992), "M-type asteroids - Rotational properties of 16 objects", Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series 95 (2): 195–211, Bibcode:1992A&AS...95..195D.
    3. ↑ Observatory, vol. 8, p. 63, 1885 & vol. 9, p. 142, 1886; see also The Guinness Book of Astronomy Facts and Feats Patrick Moore page 96 ISBN 0-900424-76-1

    External links