(52) Europe
Asteroid (52) Europe |
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Properties of the orbit ( animation ) | |
Orbit type | Main belt asteroid |
Major semi-axis | 3.097 AU |
eccentricity | 0.106 |
Perihelion - aphelion | 2.767 AU - 3.427 AU |
Inclination of the orbit plane | 7.5 ° |
Length of the ascending node | 128.8 ° |
Argument of the periapsis | 344 ° |
Sidereal period | 5 a 164 d |
Mean orbital velocity | 16.9 km / s |
Physical Properties | |
Medium diameter | 360 km × 315 km × 240 km |
Dimensions | 5.2 x 10 19 | kg
Albedo | 0.06 |
Medium density | 3.6 g / cm³ |
Rotation period | 5.6 h |
Absolute brightness | 6.3 mag |
history | |
Explorer | HMS Goldschmidt |
Date of discovery | February 4, 1858 |
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. |
(52) Europa is an asteroid of the main asteroid belt , which was discovered on February 4, 1858 by Hermann Mayer Salomon Goldschmidt . It is named after Europa , the princess from Greek mythology.
Europe moves around the Sun at a distance of 2.8 ( perihelion ) to 3.4 ( aphelion ) astronomical units in 5.4 years . The orbit is inclined 7.5 ° to the ecliptic , the orbital eccentricity is 0.11.
With a mean diameter of around 300 km, Europe is one of the largest asteroids in the main belt. It has a dark surface with an albedo of 0.06.
Occult on July 3, 2011
On July 3, 2011, a rare occultation of a fixed star in the constellation Virgo took place. The star's occultation lasted up to 17.9 seconds and was seen in a strip about 300 km wide in North America. The shape and size of the asteroid could be determined more precisely from many, exact observations of the star cover.
See also
- List of asteroids with references and web links (see also infobox)
Individual evidence
- ↑ www.nasa.gov Join NASA in Measuring an Asteroid. Accessed July 3, 2011