623 Chimaera

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623 Chimaera
Discovery
Discovered by K. Lohnert
Discovery site Heidelberg
Discovery date22 January 1907
Designations
(623) Chimaera
Pronunciation /kaɪˈmɪərə/ ky-MEER-ə [1]
Named after
 Chimera
1907 XJ
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 106.49 yr (38896 d)
Aphelion 2.7396  AU (409.84  Gm)
Perihelion 2.1819 AU (326.41 Gm)
2.4607 AU (368.12 Gm)
Eccentricity 0.11331
3.86 yr (1409.9 d)
186.178°
0° 15m 19.224s / day
Inclination 14.127°
308.337°
124.416°
Physical characteristics
22.045±0.5 km
14.635  h (0.6098  d)
0.0372±0.002
10.97

    623 Chimaera is a minor planet, specifically an asteroid orbiting in the asteroid belt.

    Contents

    Orbit and classification

    The asteroid is the major body in its own asteroid family, the Chimaera Family, it is also 22 kilometres in radius and orbits more in the inner to mid asteroid belt, taking 4 years to complete an orbit. Not much detail is really known about the asteroid.

    Exploration

    The MBR Explorer spacecraft is going to visit 623 Chimaera among six other asteroids under the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. The spacecraft is planned to launch in 2028. [3] [4] It will make observations of 623 Chimaera with its two cameras and two spectrometers with the goal of better understanding the formation of the solar system. [5]

    References

    1. ↑ "Chimaera" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
    2. ↑ "623 Chimaera (1907 XJ)". JPL Small-Body Database . NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 5 May 2016.
    3. ↑ "Arabian spacecraft to search asteroid belt for clues to life's origins". ABC News. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
    4. ↑ "Ambitious Emirati Mission Seeks to Visit 7 Asteroids and Land on the Big Red One". Gizmodo. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
    5. ↑ Nasir, Sarwat (29 May 2023). "MBR Explorer: UAE unveils details of its mission to the main asteroid belt". The National. Retrieved 27 March 2024.


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