461 Saskia
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 Lightcurve-base 3D-model of 461 Saskia. | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. F. Wolf |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 22 October 1900 |
| Designations | |
| (461) Saskia | |
| Pronunciation | German: [ˈzaski.aː][2] |
Named after | Saskia van Uylenburgh[3] (wife of Rembrandt) |
| 1900 FP · 1935 CT A917 XE · A924 DB | |
| main-belt[1][4] · (outer) Themis[5][6] | |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 117.58 yr (42,946 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.5621 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6834 AU |
| 3.1227 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1407 |
| 5.52 yr (2,016 d) | |
| 71.934° | |
| 0° 10m 42.96s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.4634° |
| 157.03° | |
| 305.17° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 39.81±13.20 km[7] 43.10±1.05 km[8] 43.603±0.256 km[9][10] 44.1±4.4 km[11] | |
| 7.348 h[12][13] | |
| 0.06[7][11] 0.069[8] 0.112[9] | |
| Tholen = FCX[4][14] X (S3OS2)[5][15] B–V = 0.610±028[4] U–B = 0.310±014[4] | |
| 10.48[1][4][8][9][11][16] 10.63[7] | |
461 Saskia, provisional designation 1900 FP, is a Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 44 kilometers (27 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 22 October 1900, by German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany.[1] The X-type asteroid has a rotation period of 7.3 hours.[14] It was named after Rembrandt's wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh.[3]
Saskia is a core member of the carbonaceous Themis family (602),[5][6] one of the largest asteroid families named after 24 Themis.[17] It orbits the Sun in the outer asteroid belt at a distance of 2.7–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 6 months (2,016 days; semi-major axis of 3.12 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.14 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.[4] The body's observation arc begins at Heidelberg the night after its official discovery observation.[1]
Naming
This minor planet was named after Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612–1642), wife of renowned Dutch painter Rembrandt (4511 Rembrandt). The official naming citation was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 50).[3]
