34 Circe

34 Circe

A three-dimensional model of 34 Circe based on its light curve.
Discovery
Discovered by	J. Chacornac
Discovery date	April 6, 1855
Designations
Named after	Circe
Alternative names	1965 JL
Minor planet category	Main belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch November 4, 2013 (JD 2456600.5)
Aphelion	2.967739 AU
Perihelion	2.406230 AU
Semi-major axis	2.686984 AU
Eccentricity	0.1045
Orbital period	4.40 a (1607.332 d)
Average orbital speed	18.12 km/s
Mean anomaly	39.80474°
Inclination	5.498°
Longitude of ascending node	184.44157°
Argument of perihelion	330.2330°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	113.02 ± 4.90[2] km
Mass	(3.66 ± 0.03) × 10^18 kg[2]
Mean density	4.83 ± 0.63[2] g/cm^3
Surface gravity	~0.0317 m/s²
Escape velocity	~0.0600 km/s
Rotation period	0.5063 d (12.15 h) [1]
Albedo	0.0541 [1]
Temperature	~172 K
Spectral type	C
Absolute magnitude (H)	8.51

34 Circe (/ˈsɜːrsiː/ SUR-see) is a large, very dark main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by French astronomer J. Chacornac on April 6, 1855, and named after Circe, a goddess in Greek mythology.

Photometric observations of this asteroid made during 2007 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico gave an asymmetrical bimodal light curve with a period of 12.176 ± 0.002 hours and a brightness variation of 0.17 ± 0.02 in magnitude.^[3]

References

1. Yeomans, Donald K., "34 Circe", JPL Small-Body Database Browser (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), retrieved 2013-12-21.
2. Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science 73, pp. 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009. See Table 1.
3. Pilcher, Frederick (September 2008), "Period Determinations for 26 Proserpina, 34 Circe 74 Galatea, 143 Adria, 272 Antonia, 419 Aurelia, and 557 Violetta", The Minor Planet Bulletin 35 (3), pp. 135–138, Bibcode:2008MPBu...35..135P.

External links

• 34 Circe at the JPL Small-Body Database

• Discovery · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters