62 Erato

62 Erato
Lightcurve-based 3D-model of Erato
Discovery
Discovered by
Discovery date14 September 1860
Designations
(62) Erato
Pronunciation/ˈɛrətoʊ/[1]
Named after
Ἐρατώ Eratō
AdjectivesEratoian /ɛrəˈtoʊ.iən/
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 31 December 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
Aphelion3.679 AU (550.4 Gm)
Perihelion2.566 AU (383.9 Gm)
3.122 AU (467.0 Gm)
Eccentricity0.178
2,015.178 d (5.52 yr)
161.828°
Inclination2.223°
125.738°
273.285°
Physical characteristics
95.4 km
Massc. 6.27×1017 kg (calculated)
Mean density
1.38 g/cm3 (assumed)[3]
5.675±0.001 h[4] or 9.2213±0.0007 h[5]
0.061[6]
  • Ch (SMASSII)
  • BU (Tholen)
8.76

62 Erato (/ˈɛrətoʊ/) is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 95 kilometers (59 miles) in diameter. Photometric measurements during 2004–2005 showed a rotation period of 9.2213±0.0007 h with an amplitude of 0.116±0.005 in magnitude.[5] It is orbiting the Sun with a period of 5.52 yr, a semimajor axis of 3.122 AU, and eccentricity of 0.178. The orbital plane is inclined by an angle of 2.22° to the plane of the ecliptic.

Erato is the first asteroid to have been credited with co-discoverers, Oskar Lesser and Wilhelm Forster, who discovered it on 14 September 1860, from the Berlin Observatory. It was their first and only asteroid discovery. The name was chosen by Johann Franz Encke, director of the observatory, and refers to Erato, the Muse of lyric poetry in Greek mythology.[7] It has also been classified as an Eoan asteroid.[4]

  1. ^ Noah Webster (1884). A Practical Dictionary of the English Language.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ferret was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Krasinsky, G. A.; Pitjeva, E. V.; Vasilyev, M. V.; Yagudina, E. I. (July 2002). "Hidden Mass in the Asteroid Belt". Icarus. 158 (1): 98–105. Bibcode:2002Icar..158...98K. doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6837.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference icarus172_2_388 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Gonçalves2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Asteroid Data Sets". Planetary Data System Asteroid/Dust Archive. NASA. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2007.
  7. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer. p. 21. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.