70 Panopaea
Main-belt asteroid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
70 Panopaea is a large main belt asteroid. Its orbit is close to those of the Eunomia asteroid family; however, Panopaea is a dark, primitive carbonaceous C-type asteroid in contrast to the S-type asteroids of the Eunomian asteroids. The spectra of the asteroid displays evidence of aqueous alteration.[10] Photometric studies give a rotation period of 15.797 hours and an amplitude of 0.11±0.01 in magnitude. Previous studies that suggested the rotation period may be twice this amount were rejected based upon further observation.[11]
A 3D model of 70 Panopaea made using Lightcurves. | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt |
| Discovery site | Paris Observatory |
| Discovery date | 5 May 1861 |
| Designations | |
| (70) Panopaea | |
| Pronunciation | /pænəˈpiːə/[2] |
Named after | Panopea |
| main belt[3] | |
| Adjectives | Panopaean |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch 30 November 2008 | |
| Aphelion | 3.0903 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1402 AU |
| 2.61526 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.181641 |
| 1544.79 days (4.23 years) | |
| 264.193° | |
| Inclination | 11.584° |
| 47.783° | |
| 256.016° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 122.17±2.3 km (mean)[5] |
| Mass | (4.33 ± 1.09) × 1018 kg[6] |
Mean density | 3.48 ± 1.05[6] g/cm3 |
| 15.87 ± 0.04 hours[7] | |
| 0.0675 ± 0.003[5] | |
| C[8] | |
| 8.11[9] | |
Panopaea was discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt on 5 May 1861.[1] It was his fourteenth and last asteroid discovery. It is named after Panopea, a nymph in Greek mythology; the name was chosen by Robert Main, President of the Royal Astronomical Society.[12] In 1862, Swedish astronomer Nils Christoffer Dunér gave a doctoral thesis on the orbital elements of this asteroid.[13]
The orbit of 70 Panopaea places it in a mean motion resonance with the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The computed Lyapunov time for this asteroid is 24,000 years, indicating that it occupies a chaotic orbit that will change randomly over time because of gravitational perturbations of the planets.[14]
The asteroid frequently makes close approaches with 16 Psyche, such as on 12 June 2040 when it will make a close approach of 0.00602 AU (2.34 Lunar distances, or approx. 770,000 km, 478,455 mi) to the asteroid, and on 2 June 2095 when it will come only 0.003372 AU (1.31 LD) to the asteroid.[3]
