46 Hestia

46 Hestia
3D convex shape model of 46 Hestia
Discovery
Discovered byNorman Robert Pogson
Discovery date16 August 1857
Designations
(46) Hestia
Pronunciation/ˈhɛstiə/[1]
Named after
Hestia
main belt
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 December 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
Aphelion2.961 AU (442.886 Gm)
Perihelion2.091 AU (312.736 Gm)
2.526 AU (377.811 Gm)
Eccentricity0.172
4.01 a (1465.958 d)
45.401°
Inclination2.342°
181.168°
176.882°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions124.1 km[2]
Mass3.5×1018 kg[3]
Mean density
5.81 ± 0.87[4] g/cm3
21.04[5] h
0.052[2]
C
8.36[2]

46 Hestia is a large, dark main-belt asteroid. It is also the primary body of the Hestia clump, a group of asteroids with similar orbits.

Hestia was discovered by N. R. Pogson on 16 August 1857, at the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford. Pogson awarded the honour of naming it to William Henry Smyth, the previous owner of the telescope used for the discovery. Smyth chose to name it after Hestia, Greek goddess of the hearth.[6] This created a problem in Greek, where 4 Vesta also goes by the name Hestia.

The computed Lyapunov time for this asteroid is 30,000 years, indicating that it occupies a chaotic orbit that will change randomly over time because of gravitational perturbations of the planets.[7]

Hestia has been studied by radar.[8] 13-cm radar observations of this asteroid from the Arecibo Observatory between 1980 and 1985 were used to produce a diameter estimate of 131 km.[9] In 1988 a search for satellites or dust orbiting this asteroid was performed using the UH88 telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatories, but the effort came up empty.[10]

  1. ^ "Hestia". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Michalak2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Carry2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pilcher2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Schmadel, Lutz (2003). Dictionary of minor planet names (fifth ed.). Germany: Springer. p. 19. ISBN 3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sidlichovsky was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Radar-Detected Asteroids and Comets". NASA/JPL Asteroid Radar Research. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ostro1985 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gradie1988 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).