279 Thule

279 Thule
Discovery
Discovered by Johann Palisa
Discovery date October 25, 1888
Designations
1927 EC, 1954 FF, A920 GA, A923 RA[1]
Asteroid belt (Thule)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 27 August 2011 (JD 2455800.5)
Aphelion 4.3122281 AU
Perihelion 4.2329299 AU
4.2725790 AU
Eccentricity 0.0092799
8.8316810 a (3225.7715 d)
182.9163°
Inclination 2.33789°
73.6201°
82.8223°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 126.6 ± 3.7 km (IRAS)[1]
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]
8.57[1]

    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. Thule was the first asteroid discovered with a semi-major axis greater than 4 AU. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on October 25, 1888 in Vienna and was named aptly after the ultimate northern land of Thule.

    Thule asteroids

    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] The orbits of these bodies are unusual. They orbit in the outermost edge of the asteroid belt in a 4:3 orbital resonance with Jupiter, the result of the periodic force Jupiter exerts on a body with Thule's orbital period, in the same way (though with the reverse effect) as the Kirkwood gaps in the more inner parts of the asteroid belt.

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 NASA/JPL Small-Body Database on 279 Thule Retrieved 2011-09-22
    2. ↑ 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