81 Terpsichore

81 Terpsichore
Orbital diagram
Discovery
Discovered byErnst Wilhelm Tempel
Discovery date30 September 1864
Designations
(81) Terpsichore
Pronunciation/tɜːrpˈsɪxərɛ/[1]
Named after
Terpsichore
Main belt
AdjectivesTerpsichorean /tɜːrpsɪxəˈriːən/[1]
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 31 December 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
Aphelion516.955 Gm (3.456 AU)
Perihelion337.132 Gm (2.254 AU)
427.044 Gm (2.855 AU)
Eccentricity0.211
1761.647 d (4.82 a)
17.43 km/s
149.581°
Inclination7.809°
1.497°
50.234°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions121.77 ± 2.34 km[2]
Mass(6.19 ± 5.31) × 1018 kg[2]
Mean density
6.54 ± 5.62 g/cm3[2]
10.943 hr
0.051 [3]
C
8.48

81 Terpsichore is a large and very dark main-belt asteroid. It has most probably a very primitive carbonaceous composition. It was found by the prolific comet discoverer Ernst Tempel on 30 September 1864.[4] It is named after Terpsichore, the Muse of dance in Greek mythology.

Photometric observations of the minor planet in 2011 gave a rotation period of 10.945±0.001 h with an amplitude of 0.09±0.01 in magnitude. This result is consistent with previous determinations.[5] Two stellar occultation events involving this asteroid were observed from multiple sites in 2009. The resulting chords matched a smooth elliptical cross-section with dimensions of 134.0±4.0 km × 108.9±0.7 km.[6]

A space station orbiting 81 Terpsichore is the main setting in the science fiction story The Dark Colony (Asteroid Police Book 1) by Richard Penn.

References

  1. ^ a b "Terpsichore". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ a b c Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, vol. 73, pp. 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009. See Table 1.
  3. ^ Asteroid Data Sets Archived 2009-12-17 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Tempel, M. (November 1864), "Minor Planet 81 Terpsichore discovered", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 25: 31, Bibcode:1864MNRAS..25...31T.
  5. ^ Pilcher, Frederick (July 2011), "Rotation Period Determinations for 28 Bellona, 81 Terpsichore, 126 Velleda 150 Nuwa, 161 Athor, 419 Aurelia, and 632 Pyrrha", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 38 (3): 156−158, Bibcode:2011MPBu...38..156P.
  6. ^ Timerson, Brad; Durech, J.; Pilcher, F.; et al. (October 2010), "Occultations by 81 Terpsichore and 694 Ekard in 2009 at Different Rotational Phase Angles", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 37 (4): 140−142, Bibcode:2010MPBu...37..140T.


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