(4769) Castalia

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Asteroid
(4769) Castalia
Properties of the orbit ( animation )
Orbit type Apollo type
Major semi-axis 1.0632  AU
eccentricity 0.4832
Perihelion - aphelion 0.5495 AU - 1.5770 AU
Inclination of the orbit plane 8.886 °
Sidereal period 400.4 days
Physical Properties
Medium diameter 1.8 × 0.8 km
Dimensions ? Template: Infobox asteroid / maintenance / masskg
Albedo ?
Medium density ? g / cm³
Rotation period 4.09 hours
Absolute brightness 16.9 mag
Spectral class ?
history
Explorer Eleanor F. Helin
Date of discovery August 9, 1989
Another name 1989 PB
Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . The affiliation to an asteroid family is automatically determined from the AstDyS-2 database . Please also note the note on asteroid items.

(4769) Castalia is a near-Earth asteroid (group of near-earth objects ) that was discovered on August 9, 1989 by Eleanor F. Helin at the Palomar Observatory .

It is named after the nymph Kastalia from Greek mythology .

Castalia moves at a distance of 0.5495 AU ( perihelion ) to 1.5770 AU ( aphelion ) around the Sun in about 400 days . The eccentricity of the orbit is 0.4832, the orbit being inclined at 8.886 ° to the ecliptic .

In August 1989, Castalia passed the earth at a distance of eleven times the moon and could be observed using radar . It turned out that the asteroid is composed of two 800-meter-large parts and is shaped like a peanut. Observations of other asteroids have shown that such double bodies are not uncommon. They can form when two larger objects collide with each other at low speeds of a few centimeters per second and remain connected.

See also