279 Thule
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
| Discovery A (http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/NumberedMPs.html) | |
|---|---|
| Discoverer | Johann Palisa |
| Discovery date | October 25, 1888 |
| Alternate designations | B (http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/MPDes.html) |
| Category | Main belt (Thule) |
| Orbital elements C (http://asteroid.lowell.edu/) Epoch 30 January, 2005 (JD 2453400.5) | |
| Eccentricity (e) | 0.012 |
| Semi-major axis (a) | 639.809 Gm (4.277 AU) |
| Perihelion (q) | 631.907 Gm (4.224 AU) |
| Aphelion (Q) | 647.712 Gm (4.33 AU) |
| Orbital period (P) | 3230.561 d (8.84 a) |
| Mean orbital speed | 14.4 km/s |
| Inclination (i) | 2.338° |
| Longitude of the ascending node (Ω) | 73.642° |
| Argument of perihelion (ω) | 82.821° |
| Mean anomaly (M) | 274.796° |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 127.0 km |
| Mass | unknown |
| Density | unknown |
| Surface gravity | unknown |
| Escape velocity | unknown |
| Rotation period | unknown |
| Spectral class | D |
| Absolute magnitude | 8.57 |
| Albedo | unknown |
| Mean surface temperature | unknown |
279 Thule is a very large Main belt asteroid. It is classified as a D-type asteroid and is probably composed of organic rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous silicates.
The orbit of Thule is unusual. It appears to orbit in the outermost edge of the Main belt in a 3:4 orbital resonance with planet Jupiter. It is the sole member of the Thule dynamical group.
It was discovered by Johann Palisa on October 25, 1888 in Vienna and was named aptly after the ultimate northern land of Thule.
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