Themis family

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The Themis family (adj. Themistian; FIN: 602 ) is a family of carbonaceous asteroids located in the outer portion of the asteroid belt, at a mean distance of 3.13 AU from the Sun. It is one of the largest families with over 4700 known members, [1] and consists of a well-defined core of larger bodies surrounded by a region of smaller ones. The collisional Themis family is named after its parent body, the asteroid 24 Themis, discovered on 5 April 1853 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis. [2]

Contents

Description

The Themis family is one of the largest and longest-recognized dynamical families of asteroids, and is made up of C-type asteroids with a composition believed to be similar to that of carbonaceous chondrites. [3] To date, the Themis family comprises approximately 535 known asteroids.

Asteroids in the Themis family share the following orbital elements:

List

Some of the largest members of this family include: [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Saskia, provisional designation 1900 FP, is a Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 44 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 October 1900, by German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The X-type asteroid has a rotation period of 7.3 hours. It was named after Rembrandt's wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh.

Lina, provisional designation 1901 FZ, is a dark Themistian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 60 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 January 1901, by German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The carbonaceous asteroid was named for the housemaid of the discoverer's family.

Athalia, provisional designation 1903 ME, is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 40 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 20 September 1903, by German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named after the ancient Judahite queen Athaliah.

848 Inna is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 5 September 1915, by astronomer Grigory Neujmin at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The C-type asteroid measures approximately 33 kilometers in diameter, while its rotation period remains unknown. It was named after Russian astronomer Inna Nikolaevna Leman-Balanovskaya (1881–1945).

981 Martina is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 31 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 23 September 1917, by Russian astronomer Sergey Belyavsky at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The C/B-type asteroid has a rotation period of 11.3 hours. It was named after French historian and revolutionary Henri Martin (1810–1883).

Lilofee, provisional designation 1923 OK, is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 33 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 13 September 1923, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named after the Black Forest mermaid "Lilofee" from German folklore.

1086 Nata, provisional designation 1927 QL, is a carbonaceous Veritasian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 68 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 25 August 1927, by Russian astronomers Sergey Belyavsky and Nikolaj Ivanov at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named in memory of Soviet female parachutist Nata Babushkina (1915–1936).

3054 Strugatskia, provisional designation 1977 RE7, is a dark Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 27 kilometers (17 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 11 September 1977, by Soviet–Russian astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named after the brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, two Russian science fiction authors.

1109 Tata, provisional designation 1929 CU, is a dark Hygiean asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 69 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 5 February 1929, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in Germany. The meaning of the asteroids's name is unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2708 Burns</span>

2708 Burns is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 19 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 24 November 1981, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at the Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States. It was named after American planetary scientist Joseph A. Burns. The likely elongated B-type asteroid has a rotation period of 5.3 hours.

2325 Chernykh, provisional designation 1979 SP, is a dark Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 23 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 25 September 1979, by Czech astronomer Antonín Mrkos at the Klet Observatory in the Czech Republic. The asteroid was named after Russian astronomer couple Lyudmila Chernykh and Nikolai Chernykh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1576 Fabiola</span> Asteroid

1576 Fabiola, provisional designation 1948 SA, is a Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 27 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 30 September 1948, by Belgian astronomer Sylvain Arend at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle. The asteroid was named after Queen Fabiola of Belgium.

4997 Ksana, provisional designation 1986 TM, is a carbonaceous Palladian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 6 October 1986, by Russian astronomer Lyudmila Karachkina at Crimean Astrophysical Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named for Russian chemist Kseniya Nessler.

5592 Oshima, provisional designation 1990 VB4, is a Veritasian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 25 kilometers (16 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 14 November 1990, by astronomers Kenzo Suzuki and Takeshi Urata at the Toyota Observatory, and later named after Japanese astronomer Yoshiaki Oshima. The carbonaceous C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 12.5 hours.

3790 Raywilson, provisional designation 1937 UE, is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 October 1937, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in Heidelberg, Germany. The C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 4.65 hours. It was named for English physicist Raymond Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1493 Sigrid</span>

1493 Sigrid, provisional designation 1938 QB, is a dark Nysian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 24 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 August 1938, by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle. It was named after Sigrid Strömgren, wife of astronomer Bengt Strömgren.

2882 Tedesco, provisional designation 1981 OG, is a Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 22 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 July 1981, by astronomer Edward Bowell at the Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona. The likely elongated C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 19.8 hours. It was named for American astronomer Ed Tedesco.

1302 Werra, provisional designation 1924 SV, is a Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 30 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 28 September 1924, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory. The asteroid was named for the river Werra in central Germany.

1340 Yvette, provisional designation 1934 YA, is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 29 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 December 1934, by astronomer Louis Boyer at the Algiers Observatory, who named it after his niece, Yvette.

10241 Miličević, provisional designation 1999 AU6, is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 9 January 1999, by Croatian astronomer Korado Korlević at the Višnjan Observatory in Croatia. The C-type asteroid has a short rotation period of 3.87 hours and was named after hermit and amateur astronomer Don Nikola Miličević.

References

  1. ↑ Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv: 1502.01628 . Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN   9780816532131. S2CID   119280014.
  2. ↑ "24 Themis". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  3. ↑ DIVERSITY OF TYPES OF HYDRATED MINERALS ON C≠CLASS ASTEROIDS A. S. Rivkin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, E. S. Howell, Arecibo Observatory, S. J. Bus, Institute for Astronomy
  4. ↑ de León, J.; Pinilla-Alonso, N.; Campins, H.; Licandro, J.; Marzo, G. A. (March 2012). "Near-infrared spectroscopic survey of B-type asteroids: Compositional analysis". Icarus . 218 (1): 196–206. Bibcode:2012Icar..218..196D. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2011.11.024 . Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  5. ↑ Licandro, J.; Hargrove, K.; Kelley, M.; Campins, H.; Ziffer, J.; Alí-Lagoa, V.; et al. (January 2012). "5-14 mum Spitzer spectra of Themis family asteroids" (PDF). Astronomy and Astrophysics. 537: 7. Bibcode:2012A&A...537A..73L. doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201118142 . Retrieved 7 November 2018.

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