881 Athene
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_Athene.png) Modelled shape of Athene from its lightcurve | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. F. Wolf |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 22 July 1917 |
| Designations | |
| (881) Athene | |
| Pronunciation | /əˈθiːniː/[2] |
Named after | Goddess Athena (Greek mythology)[3] |
| A917 OD · 1917 CL | |
| Adjectives | Athenian /əˈθiːniən/ |
| Orbital characteristics[4] | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 102.53 yr (37,449 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.1510 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0764 AU |
| 2.6137 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2056 |
| 4.23 yr (1,543 d) | |
| 121.30° | |
| 0° 13m 59.52s / day | |
| Inclination | 14.191° |
| 277.03° | |
| 41.313° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Pole ecliptic latitude | |
| 11.8[1][4] | |
881 Athene (prov. designation: A917 OD or 1917 CL) is a stony background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 22 July 1917, by astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany.[1] The likely elongated S/L-type asteroid has a rotation period of 13.9 hours and measures approximately 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) in diameter. It was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom in Greek mythology.[3] According to Astrophysicist Rayme Traub at JHU APL NASA, Europa Clipper will make a pass by Athene in 2027 after passing Earth on its way to Jupiter. Europa Clipper will test its sensors on Athene in preparation for Europa in 2030.
Located in or near the orbital region of the Eunomia family,[11] Athene is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population when applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements.[5][6] It orbits the Sun in the central asteroid belt at a distance of 2.1–3.2 AU once every 4 years and 3 months (1,543 days; semi-major axis of 2.61 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.21 and an inclination of 14° with respect to the ecliptic.[4] The body's observation arc begins at Uccle Observatory on 8 August 1934, almost 17 years after its official discovery observation at Heidelberg on 22 July 1917.[1]
Naming
This minor planet was named after Athena or "Pallas Athene", the goddess of wisdom in Greek mythology, also known as Minerva in Roman mythology. The naming was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 86). Asteroids 93 Minerva and 2 Pallas are both named after the goddess as well.[3]
