Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters |
Discovery site | Litchfield Observatory |
Discovery date | 22 August 1868 |
Designations | |
(102) Miriam | |
Pronunciation | /ˈmɪriəm/ [2] |
Named after | Miriam |
A868 QA, 1944 FC 1972 PC | |
main belt [3] | |
Orbital characteristics [3] [4] | |
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 145.65 yr (53198 d) |
Aphelion | 3.33419 AU (498.788 Gm) |
Perihelion | 1.98782 AU (297.374 Gm) |
2.66101 AU (398.081 Gm) | |
Eccentricity | 0.252981 |
4.34 yr (1585.5 d) | |
23.9115° | |
0° 13m 37.405s / day | |
Inclination | 5.17832° |
210.856° | |
147.247° | |
Earth MOID | 0.98566 AU (147.453 Gm) |
Jupiter MOID | 2.13185 AU (318.920 Gm) |
TJupiter | 3.333 |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 96 × 62 km [5] |
82.595±0.400 km [3] 83.00±1.9 km [6] | |
Mass | (9.95 ± 4.64/2.6)×1017 kg [7] |
Mean density | 3.409 ± 1.589/0.89 g/cm3 [7] [lower-alpha 1] |
23.613 h (0.9839 d) [3] 15.789 h [8] | |
0.051±0.006 [3] 0.0507±0.002 [6] | |
P (Tholen classification) [9] C (SMASSII classification) [9] | |
9.51 [3] 9.26 [10] | |
102 Miriam is a moderately large, very dark main belt asteroid. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on August 22, 1868, from the Litchfield Observatory. [1]
Peters named the asteroid after Miriam, the sister of Moses in the Old Testament. This caused some controversy, because at the time, asteroids were expected to be named after mythological figures, and devout Christians and Jews would not regard Biblical figures as such. According to fellow astronomer Edward S. Holden, Peters deliberately chose a name from the Bible so as to annoy an overly pious theology professor of his acquaintance. [11]
Initially classified as a D-type asteroid, it was later classed as C-type based upon a broad absorption feature below 4,000 Å, most likely due to phyllosilicates on the surface. [12] An occultation of the star HIP 37136 by 102 Miriam on February 15, 2000 was observed from multiple stations, with the chords yielding an estimated elliptical cross-section of 96 × 62 km. [5]
Photometric observations of this asteroid during 2007 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico, were used to create a light curve plot. This showed a rotation period of 23.613 ± 0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.12 ± 0.02 magnitude. The curve shows three maxima and minima during each cycle. [13] This value for the period differs from the 15.789 hour estimate produced in a 2008 study. [8]
49 Pales is a large, dark main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by German-French astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt on 19 September 1857 from his balcony in Paris. The asteroid is named after Pales, the goddess of shepherds in Roman mythology. Since it was discovered on the same night as 48 Doris, geologist Élie de Beaumont suggested naming the two "The Twins".
84 Klio is a fairly large and very dark main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by R. Luther on August 25, 1865, and named after Clio, the Muse of history in Greek mythology. The name Clio had previously been suggested by the discoverer of 12 Victoria, and that is the name B. A. Gould, editor of the prestigious Astronomical Journal, adopted for that asteroid, because of the controversy over the name Victoria. An occultation by Klio over a dim star was observed on April 2, 1997.
98 Ianthe is a large main-belt asteroid, named for three figures in Greek mythology. It is very dark and is composed of carbonates. It was one of the numerous discoveries by C. H. F. Peters, who found it on April 18, 1868, from Clinton, New York.
112 Iphigenia is a fairly large and exceedingly dark main-belt asteroid. It is classified as a C-type asteroid, and therefore probably has a primitive carbonaceous composition. It was discovered by German-American astronomer C. H. F. Peters on September 19, 1870, and named after Iphigenia, a princess sacrificed by her father in Greek mythology. The orbital elements for 112 Iphigenia were published by German astronomer Friedrich Tietjen in 1871.
131 Vala is an inner main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on 24 May 1873, and derives its name from völva, a prophetess in Norse paganism. One observation of an occultation of a star by Vala is from Italy. 10-μm radiometric data collected from Kitt Peak in 1975 gave a diameter estimate of 34 km.
161 Athor is an M-type Main belt asteroid that was discovered by James Craig Watson on April 19, 1876, at the Detroit Observatory and named after Hathor, an Egyptian fertility goddess. It is the namesake of a proposed Athor asteroid family, estimated to be ~3 billion years old.
162 Laurentia is a large and dark main-belt asteroid that was discovered by the French brothers Paul Henry and Prosper Henry on 21 April 1876, and named after Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, an amateur astronomer who discovered asteroid 51 Nemausa.
176 Iduna is a large main-belt asteroid that was discovered by German-American astronomer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters on October 14, 1877, in Clinton, New York. It is named after Sällskapet Idun, a club in Stockholm that hosted an astronomical conference; Idun is also a Norse goddess. A G-type asteroid, it has a composition similar to that of the largest main-belt asteroid, 1 Ceres.
619 Triberga is a main belt asteroid discovered on 22 October 1906 by August Kopff at Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory. Since it has an orbit that repeats itself almost exactly every four years with respect to the position of the Sun and Earth, it has been suggested as a way to calculate the mass of the Moon. Triberga was named for the German town of Triberg.
650 Amalasuntha is a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered by German astronomer August Kopff on October 4, 1907, at Heidelberg. It was named after Amalasuntha, the queen of the Ostrogoths from 526 to 534 AD. The name may have been inspired by the asteroid's provisional designation 1907 AM.
651 Antikleia is a main-belt asteroid discovered on 4 October 1907 by August Kopff at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory. It is named for Anticlea the mother of Odysseus. The name may have been inspired by the asteroid's provisional designation 1907 AN.
653 Berenike is a main-belt asteroid discovered on 27 November 1907 by Joel Hastings Metcalf at Taunton, Massachusetts. It is named after Berenice II of Egypt, after whom the constellation Coma Berenices is also named. The name may have been inspired by the asteroid's provisional designation 1907 BK.
742 Edisona is a minor planet, specifically an asteroid orbiting in the asteroid belt that was discovered by German astronomer Franz Kaiser on February 23, 1913. It was named for inventor Thomas Edison. This asteroid is orbiting 3.01 AU with a period of 5.22 years and an eccentricity of 0.119. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 11.2° to the plane of the ecliptic. This is a member of the dynamic Eos family of asteroids that most likely formed as the result of a collisional breakup of a parent body.
756 Lilliana is a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered by American astronomer Joel Hastings Metcalf on 26 April 1908 from Taunton, Massachusetts. It rotates around its axis of rotation every 9.36 hours.
784 Pickeringia is a large background asteroid, approximately 76 kilometers in diameter, located in the outer region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 20 March 1914, by American astronomer Joel Hastings Metcalf at the Winchester Observatory in Massachusetts. The dark C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 13.1 hours and an irregular shape. It was named after American astronomers Edward Charles Pickering (1846–1919) and his brother William Henry Pickering (1858–1938).
788 Hohensteina is a main-belt asteroid discovered on 4 April 1914 by Franz Kaiser at Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory. Named for castle Hohenstein located in the Taunus mountains.
845 Naëma is a large asteroid and the parent body of the Naëma family located in the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 16 November 1916, by astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany. The carbonaceous C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 20.9 hours and measures approximately 54 kilometers in diameter on average, as it is likely elongated in shape. Any reference of the asteroid's name to a person is unknown.
1143 Odysseus, provisional designation 1930 BH, is a large Jupiter trojan located in the Greek camp of Jupiter's orbit. It was discovered on 28 January 1930, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany, and later named after Odysseus, the legendary hero from Greek mythology. The dark D-type asteroid has a rotation period of 10.1 hours. With a diameter of approximately 125 kilometers, it is among the 10 largest Jovian trojans.
3915 Fukushima, provisional designation 1988 PA1, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 21 kilometers in diameter.
1325 Inanda, provisional designation 1934 NR, is a stony background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 14 July 1934, by South African astronomer Cyril Jackson at the Union Observatory in Johannesburg. The asteroid was named after the township of Inanda in South Africa.