444 Gyptis

444 Gyptis
Discovery
Discovered by J. Coggia
Discovery date March 31, 1899
Designations
Named after
 Gyptis
1899 EL
Main belt
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 30 January 2005 (JD 2453400.5)
Aphelion 486.992 Gm (3.255 AU)
Perihelion 343.129 Gm (2.294 AU)
415.06 Gm (2.775 AU)
Eccentricity 0.173
1687.986 d (4.62 a)
17.88 km/s
195.011°
Inclination 10.277°
195.85°
154.569°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 179×150km[1]
163.1 ± 10.0 km[2]
Mass 1.25×1019 kg[3]
Mean density
 5.53±1.46 g/cm³[3]
6.214 h[2]
Albedo 0.049[2]
Spectral type
 C[2]
7.83[2]

    444 Gyptis is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered by J. Coggia on March 31, 1899, in Marseilles. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of carbonaceous material.

    In 2004, Kochetova estimated Gyptis to have a mass of 1.25×1019 kg with a high density of 5.53 g/cm³.[3] The adaptive optics instrument at the W. M. Keck Observatory showed an object with a diameter of 129 km, which is much smaller than the estimate of 160 km from the IRAS observatory measurements, indicating an irregular shape. The size ratio between the major and minor axes is estimated at 1.40.[4] Observations of an occultation on October 14, 2007, produced six chords indicating an cross-section ellipsoid of 179×150 km.[1]

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "2007 European Asteroidal Occultation Results". euraster.net (a website for Asteroidal Occultation Observers in Europe). 2007-10-14. Retrieved 2008-12-01. (Chords)
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 444 Gyptis (1899 EL)" (2008-11-01 last obs). Retrieved 2008-11-28.
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jim Baer (2008). "Recent Asteroid Mass Determinations". Personal Website. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
    4. ↑ Marchis, F. et al. (November 2006), "Shape, size and multiplicity of main-belt asteroids. I. Keck Adaptive Optics survey", Icarus 185 (1): 39–63, Bibcode:2006Icar..185...39M, doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2006.06.001, PMC 2600456, PMID 19081813, retrieved 2013-03-27.

    External links