14871 Pyramus

14871 Pyramus
Discovery [1]
Discovered by L. D. Schmadel
F. Börngen
Discovery site Karl Schwarzschild Obs.
Discovery date 13 October 1990
Designations
MPC designation 14871 Pyramus
Named after
 Pyramus
(Classical mythology)[2]
1990 TH7 · 1972 TJ3
1978 TW4
main-belt (outer)[1]
Orbital characteristics [1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 61.62 yr (22,508 days)
Aphelion 4.0317 AU
Perihelion 2.5564 AU
3.2941 AU
Eccentricity 0.2239
5.98 yr (2,184 days)
134.61°
0° 9m 53.28s / day
Inclination 0.9926°
5.9452°
314.66°
Jupiter Tisserand parameter 3.13
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 9 km (estimated, 0.05)[3]
13.9[1]

    14871 Pyramus, provisional designation 1990 TH7, is an asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, roughly 9 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 13 October 1990 by German astronomers Lutz Schmadel and Freimut Börngen at the Karl Schwarzschild Observatory in Tautenburg, Germany.[4]

    The asteroid is one of very few bodies located in the 2 : 1 mean motion resonance with the giant planet Jupiter.[5][6] It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.6–4.0 AU once every 5 years and 12 months (2,184 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.22 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic. Due to precoveries obtained at the Palomar Observatory from 1954, it has an observation arc that begins decades before its actual discovery.[4] As of 2016, the asteroid's effective size, its composition and albedo, as well as its rotation period and shape remain unknown.[1]

    Based on an absolute magnitude of 13.9, the asteroid is estimated to measure between 4 and 9 kilometers in diameter, assuming an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25.[3] Since asteroids in the outer main-belt are mostly of a carbonaceous rather than of a silicaceous composition, with low albedos, typically around 0.06, the asteroid's diameter might be on the upper end of NASA's published conversion table, as the lower the body's reflectivity (albedo), the larger its diameter, at a constant absolute magnitude (brightness).[3]

    In Greco-Roman mythology and mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Pyramus and Thisbe (see minor planet 88 Thisbe) from which the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet ultimately originated. Two lovers committed suicide as their parents were against their marriage. The asteroid's name was proposed by Austrian amateur astronomer Herbert Raab. The M.P.C. naming citation (47301) mentions that the "two lovers are now finally united forever in the asteroid belt".[2]

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 5 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 14871 Pyramus (1990 TH7)" (2016-02-16 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
    2. 1 2 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2006). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (14871) Pyramus, Addendum to Fifth Edition: 2003–2005. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-3-540-34360-8. Retrieved April 2016.
    3. 1 2 3 "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Retrieved April 2016.
    4. 1 2 "14871 Pyramus (1990 TH7)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved April 2016.
    5. ↑ Roig, F.; Nesvorný, D.; Ferraz-Mello, S. (September 2002). "Asteroids in the 2 : 1 resonance with Jupiter: dynamics and size distribution [ Erratum: 2002MNRAS.336.1391R ]". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 335 (2): 417–431. Bibcode:2002MNRAS.335..417R. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05635.x. Retrieved April 2016.
    6. ↑ Roig, F.; Nesvorný, D.; Ferraz-Mello, S. (November 2002). "Erratum: Asteroids in the 2 : 1 resonance with Jupiter: dynamics and size distribution". Monthly Notice of the Royal Astronomical Society 336 (4): 1391–1392. Bibcode:2002MNRAS.336.1391R. doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.06105.x. Retrieved April 2016.

    External links


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