37 Fides

37 Fides
A three-dimensional model of 37 Fides based on its light curve
Discovery
Discovered byR. Luther
Discovery dateOctober 5, 1855
Designations
Designation
(37) Fides
Pronunciation/ˈfaɪdiːz/[1]
Named after
Fides
1925 WH
Main belt
AdjectivesFidean /ˈfɪdiən/
Symbol (historical)
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch February 25, 2023 (JD 2460000.5)
Observation arc167 yr
Aphelion464.902 Gm (3.108 AU)
Perihelion325.937 Gm (2.179 AU)
395.419 Gm (2.643 AU)
Eccentricity0.176
1,569.628 d (4.30 a)
303.436°
0° 13m 45.84s / day
Inclination3.071°
7.267°
62.327°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions108.35 ± 1.9 km[2]
Mass(1.674 ± 0.663/0.314)×1018 kg[3]
Mean density
2.906 ± 1.150/0.545 g/cm3[3][a]
0.0381 m/s2
0.0642 km/s
0.3055 d (7.334 h)[4]
Albedo0.183 ± 0.007[5]
Temperature~167 K
Spectral type
S
7.41[2]

37 Fides (/ˈfaɪdiːz/) is a large main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Theodor Robert Luther on October 5, 1855,[6] and named after Fides, the Roman goddess of loyalty. Fides was the last of the main-belt asteroids to be assigned an iconic symbol,[7] a Latin cross U+271D ✝ ().[8][9] 37 Fides is also a S-type asteroid in the Tholen classification system.[2]

Photometric observations of this asteroid at multiple observatories during 1981–82 gave an unusual light curve with three minima and maxima. The curve changed with varying phase angle of the asteroid relative to the viewer and the position of the Sun, indicating the changing influence of shadows cast by surface features. The composite light curve has a best fit period estimate of 7.33 hours.[10] Austrian astronomer Hans Josef Schober has suggested that the multiple minima and maxima during each period may be an indication of a binary nature.[11]

  1. ^ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference JPL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FiengaEtAl2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ALP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ADA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference IAU_MPC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gould1852 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Bala, Gavin Jared; Miller, Kirk (18 September 2023). "Unicode request for historical asteroid symbols" (PDF). unicode.org. Unicode. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  9. ^ Unicode. "Proposed New Characters: The Pipeline". unicode.org. The Unicode Consortium. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Zappla1983 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schober1984 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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