81 Terpsichore
Main-belt asteroid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 September 30, 1864.[4] It is named after Terpsichore, the Muse of dance in Greek mythology.
Orbital diagram | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Ernst Wilhelm Tempel |
| Discovery date | September 30, 1864 |
| Designations | |
| (81) Terpsichore | |
| Pronunciation | /tÉËrpËsɪxÉrÉ/[1] |
Named after | Terpsichore |
| Main belt | |
| Adjectives | Terpsichorean /tÉËrpsɪxÉËriËÉn/[1] |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| Aphelion | 516.955 million km (3.456 AU) |
| Perihelion | 337.132 million km (2.254 AU) |
| 427.044 million km (2.855 AU) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.211 |
| 1761.647 d (4.82 a) | |
Average orbital speed | 17.43 km/s |
| 149.581° | |
| Inclination | 7.809° |
| 1.497° | |
| 50.234° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 121.77 ± 2.34 km[2] |
| Mass | (6.19 ± 5.31) à 1018 kg[2] |
Mean density | 6.54 ± 5.62 g/cm3[2] |
| 10.943 hr | |
| 0.051 [3] | |
| C | |
| 8.48 | |
This object is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.855 AU with a moderate eccentricity of 0.212 and an orbital period of 4.82 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 7.80° relative to the plane of the ecliptic. Infrared measurements provide a diameter estimate of 117.7±0.7 km. It has the spectrum of a carbonaceous C-type asteroid.[5]
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.[6] 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 à 108.9±0.7 km.[7]
In popular culture
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.
