423 Diotima
Main-belt asteroid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
423 Diotima is one of the larger main-belt asteroids. It is classified as a C-type asteroid[2] and is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material.
Lightcurve-base 3D-model of Diotima on the top with an image of the asteroid on the bottom. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Auguste Charlois |
| Discovery date | 7 December 1896 |
| Designations | |
| (423) Diotima | |
| Pronunciation | /daɪ.əˈtaɪmə/[1] |
Named after | Diotima of Mantinea (Διοτίμα Diotīma) |
| 1896 DB | |
| Main belt | |
| Adjectives | Diotimean /daɪ.ɒtəˈmiːən/, Diotimian /daɪ.əˈtɪmiən/ |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 116.96 yr (42719 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.18523 AU (476.504 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.95026 AU (441.353 Gm) |
| 3.06774 AU (458.927 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.038297 |
| 5.37 yr (1962.6 d) | |
| 237.495° | |
| 0° 11m 0.355s / day | |
| Inclination | 11.2304° |
| 69.4710° | |
| 200.103° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 171 km × 138 km[3] |
| 175.859±3.854 km[2] 211.64 ± 16.02 km[4] | |
| Mass | (6.91±1.93)×1018 kg[4] (4.368 ± 1.680/1.377)×1018 kg[5] |
Mean density | 1.39 ± 0.50 g/cm3[4] 1.534 ± 0.590/0.483 g/cm3[5] |
| 4.775 h (0.1990 d)[2] | |
| 0.067±0.015[2] | |
| C[2] | |
| 7.42[2] | |
It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 7 December 1896, in Nice. In the late 1990s, a network of astronomers worldwide gathered lightcurve data that was ultimately used to derive the spin states and shape models of 10 new asteroids, including 423 Diotima. The light curve for this asteroid varies "a lot" depending on the position, with the brightness variations ranging from almost zero to up to 0.2 in magnitude.[6][7] Dunham (2002) used 15 chords and obtained an estimated size of 171 km × 138 km.[3]
Name
Diotima is named for Diotima of Mantinea, a priestess who was one of Socrates's teachers. It is one of seven of Charlois's discoveries that was expressly named by the Astromomisches Rechen-Institut (Astronomical Calculation Institute).[8]
The name is stressed on the penultimate syllable, /daɪ.əˈtaɪmə/ dy-ə-TY-mə, as in Latin Diotīma.
