52 Europa

52 Europa
Discovery
Discovered byH. Goldschmidt
Discovery date4 February 1858
Designations
(52) Europa
Pronunciation/jʊˈrpə/[1]
Named after
Europa
1948 LA
Main belt
AdjectivesEuropan, Europian
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch July 01, 2021
(JD 2459396.5, heliocentric)
Aphelion3.444 AU (510 Gm)
Perihelion2.75 AU (420 Gm)
3.095 AU (460 Gm)
Eccentricity0.111
5.45 yr (1989 d)
21°
Inclination7.48°
129°
343°
Physical characteristics
Dimensionsc/a = 0.67±0.04[3]
(379±16)×(330±8)×(249±10) km[4]
319±4 km[3]
315±7 km[4]
Mass(24±4)×1018 kg[3]
(22.6±1.6)×1018 kg[a][5]
Mean density
1.41±0.23 g/cm3[3]
1.5±0.4 g/cm3[4]
5.63 h[2]
0.057±0.007 geometric (0.679±0.017 BV, 0.338±0.028 UB)[2]
Temperature~173 K
max: 258K (−15 °C)[6]
C/CF[2]
6.48[2]

52 Europa is the sixth largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, having a diameter of over 300 km, though it is not correspondingly massive. It is not round but is shaped like an ellipsoid of approximately 380×330×250 km.[4] It was discovered on 4 February 1858, by Hermann Goldschmidt from his balcony in Paris. It is named after Europa, one of Zeus's conquests in Greek mythology, a name it shares with Jupiter's moon Europa.

  1. ^ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  2. ^ a b c d e JPL data Retrieved 2021-09-29
  3. ^ a b c d P. Vernazza et al. (2021) VLT/SPHERE imaging survey of the largest main-belt asteroids: Final results and synthesis. Astronomy & Astrophysics 54, A56
  4. ^ a b c d Merline, W.J. (2013). "The Resolved Asteroid Program – Size, shape, and pole of (52) Europa". Icarus. 225 (1): 794–805. arXiv:1301.5101. Bibcode:2013Icar..225..794M. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2013.01.010. S2CID 119286695.
  5. ^ James Baer, Steven Chesley & Robert Matson (2011) "Astrometric masses of 26 asteroids and observations on asteroid porosity." The Astronomical Journal, Volume 141, Number 5
  6. ^ Dotto, E.; Müller, T. G.; Barucci, M. A.; Encrenaz, Th.; Knacke, R. F.; Lellouch, E.; Doressoundiram, A.; Crovisier, J.; Brucato, J. R.; Colangeli, L.; Mennella, V. (2000). "ISO results on bright Main Belt asteroids: PHT-S observations". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 358: 1134. Bibcode:2000A&A...358.1133D. Retrieved 23 February 2024.


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