Eucharis (minor planet designation: 181 Eucharis) is a large, slowly rotating main-belt asteroid that was discovered by French astronomer Pablo Cottenot on February 2, 1878, from Marseille Observatory.[5] It was his only asteroid discovery. This object was named after Eucharis, a nymph from the 17th-century novel Les Aventures de Télémaque.
 Orbital diagram | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pablo Cottenot |
| Discovery date | 2 February 1878 |
| Designations | |
| (181) Eucharis | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈjuːkərɪs/[1] |
Named after | Eucharis |
| A878 CB; 1906 GA | |
| Main belt | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 123.63 yr (45157 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.7664 AU (563.45 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.49280 AU (372.918 Gm) |
| 3.12958 AU (468.179 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.20347 |
| 5.54 yr (2022.2 d) | |
Average orbital speed | 16.64 km/s |
| 32.3207° | |
| 0° 10m 40.879s / day | |
| Inclination | 18.890° |
| 143.224° | |
| 318.943° | |
| Earth MOID | 1.53686 AU (229.911 Gm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.47086 AU (220.038 Gm) |
| TJupiter | 3.099 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 106.66±2.2 km |
| 52.23 h (2.176 d)[2][3] | |
| 0.1135±0.0054 | |
| S (Tholen) Xk (Bus)[4] | |
| 7.84 | |
In the Tholen classification system, it is categorized as a stony S-type asteroid, while the Bus asteroid taxonomy system lists it as an Xk asteroid.[4] Photometric observations of this asteroid at the Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station in Rancho Cucamonga, California during 2007 gave a light curve with a leisurely rotation period of 52.23 ± 0.05 hours.[3]
This object is the namesake of a family of 149–778 asteroids that share similar spectral properties and orbital elements; hence they may have arisen from the same collisional event. All members have a relatively high orbital inclination.[6]
References
External links
- 181 Eucharis at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 181 Eucharis at the JPL Small-Body Database
