(617) Patroclus

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Asteroid
(617) Patroclus
Properties of the orbit ( animation )
Orbit type Jupiter Trojan (L 5 )
Major semi-axis 5.217  AU
eccentricity 0.1383
Perihelion - aphelion 4.496 AU - 5.939 AU
Inclination of the orbit plane 22.05 °
Length of the ascending node 44.355 °
Argument of the periapsis 308.373 °
Time of passage of the perihelion July 31, 2012
Sidereal period 11 a 339 d
Mean orbital velocity 13.0 km / s
Physical Properties
Medium diameter 122 ± 3 km
Dimensions 1.36 ± 0.11 x 10 18Template: Infobox asteroid / maintenance / mass kg
Albedo 0.0471
Medium density 0.8 ± 0.2 g / cm³
Rotation period 102 h 48 min
Absolute brightness 8.19 likes
Spectral class P
history
Explorer August Kopff
Date of discovery October 17, 1906
Another name 1906 VY, 1941 XC, 1962 NB
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.

(617) Patroclus is an asteroid belonging to the group of Trojans . It is used to describe asteroids that move on the orbit of Jupiter around the sun.

Patroclus was discovered in 1906 as the second Trojan horse. It was named after the warrior Patroclus from Greek mythology.

Patroclus is located near Jupiter's Lagrange point L5. Its orbit runs between 4,496 ( perihelion ) and 5,939 ( aphelion ) astronomical units and is strongly inclined towards the ecliptic at 22.0 ° . The orbital eccentricity is 0.138.

During the opposition , Patroclus achieved a brightness of 16.2 mag . It is therefore an extremely faint object in the night sky.

Patroclus' diameter was previously estimated to be around 150 km. Investigations with the Keck II telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii uncovered the dual nature of the asteroid. In addition to Patroclus, with a diameter of 122 km, there is a second component with the designation S / 2001 (617) 1 and the name Menoetius , whose diameter is estimated at 113 kilometers. Patroclus is therefore a double asteroid , the components of which move around the common center of gravity at a distance of about 680 km from each other .

Template: future / in 5 yearsOn January 4, 2017, NASA decided to deploy the Lucy space probe , which is scheduled to start in October 2021 and initially the L 4 Trojans (3548) Eurybates , (15094) Polymele , (11351) Leucus and (21900 ) between 2027 and 2028 ) Orus should investigate. Then the probe will swing-by the earth to reach Patroclus and Menoetius in March 2033 and explore them up close.

See also

Web links