172 Baucis

172 Baucis
	Lightcurve-base 3D-model of 172 Baucis.
Discovery
Discovered by	A. Borrelly
Discovery date	5 February 1877
Designations
MPC designation	(172) Baucis
Pronunciation	/ˈbɔːsɪs/
Named after	Baucis
Alternative designations	A877 CA; 1921 EE
Minor planet category	Main belt
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	133.62 yr (48806 d)
Aphelion	2.6525 AU (396.81 Gm)
Perihelion	2.1073 AU (315.25 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.3799 AU (356.03 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.11454
Orbital period (sidereal)	3.67 yr (1341.0 d)
Mean anomaly	175.49°
Mean motion	0° 16m 6.42s / day
Inclination	10.028°
Longitude of ascending node	331.98°
Argument of perihelion	359.20°
Earth MOID	1.09593 AU (163.949 Gm)
Jupiter MOID	2.67257 AU (399.811 Gm)
TJupiter	3.510
Physical characteristics
Mean radius	31.215±0.6 km
Synodic rotation period	27.417 h (1.1424 d)
Geometric albedo	0.1382±0.006
Spectral type	S
Absolute magnitude (H)	8.79

Last updated October 28, 2025

172 Baucis is a large main belt asteroid that was discovered by French astronomer Alphonse Borrelly on February 5, 1877, and named after a fictional character in the Greek legend of Baucis and Philemon. The adjectival form of the name is Baucidian. It is classified as an S-type asteroid based upon its spectrum.

Photometric observations of this asteroid from the southern hemisphere during 2003 gave a light curve that indicated a slow synodic rotation period of 27.417 ± 0.013 hours and a brightness variation of 0.25 in magnitude.^[3]

Polarimetric study of this asteroid reveals anomalous properties that suggests the regolith consists of a mixture of low and high albedo material. This may have been caused by fragmentation of an asteroid substrate with the spectral properties of CO3/CV3 carbonaceous chondrites.^[4]

References

↑ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
1 2 Yeomans, Donald K., "172 Baucis", JPL Small-Body Database Browser, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory , retrieved 6 May 2016.
1 2 Bembrick, C. S.; et al. (September 2004), "172 Baucis - a slow rotator", The Minor Planet Bulletin, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 51–52, Bibcode:2004MPBu...31...51B.
↑ Gil-Hutton, R.; et al. (April 2008), "New cases of unusual polarimetric behavior in asteroids", Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 482, no. 1, pp. 309–314, Bibcode:2008A&A...482..309G, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361:20078965 .

External links

172 Baucis at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
172 Baucis at the JPL Small-Body Database
- Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters

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[1] Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language

[JPL-2] 1 2 Yeomans, Donald K., "172 Baucis", JPL Small-Body Database Browser, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory , retrieved 6 May 2016.

[Bembrick2004-3] 1 2 Bembrick, C. S.; et al. (September 2004), "172 Baucis - a slow rotator", The Minor Planet Bulletin, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 51–52, Bibcode:2004MPBu...31...51B.

[GilHutton2008-4] Gil-Hutton, R.; et al. (April 2008), "New cases of unusual polarimetric behavior in asteroids", Astronomy and Astrophysics, vol. 482, no. 1, pp. 309–314, Bibcode:2008A&A...482..309G, doi: 10.1051/0004-6361:20078965 .

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