656 Beagle

656 Beagle
Discovery [1]
Discovered byA. Kopff
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date22 January 1908
Designations
(656) Beagle
Pronunciation/ˈbiːɡəl/[2]
Named after
HMS Beagle [3]
(Darwin's ship)
1908 BU · 1917 Sed
1954 HJ
main-belt [1][4] · (outer)
Themis [5] · Beagle [5]
Orbital characteristics [4]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc109.90 yr (40,141 d)
Aphelion3.5722 AU
Perihelion2.7270 AU
3.1496 AU
Eccentricity0.1342
5.59 yr (2,042 d)
201.29°
0° 10m 34.68s / day
Inclination0.5165°
184.28°
330.81°
Physical characteristics
62.60±0.51 km[6]
7.035±0.003 h[7]
0.045±0.005[6]
C (SDSS-MOC)[8]
10.00[4]

656 Beagle, provisional designation 1908 BU, is an asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 22 January 1908, by German astronomer August Kopff at the Heidelberg Observatory.[1] It is the principal body and namesake of the small Beagle cluster located within the Themis family.[5] The C-type asteroid is likely highly elongated and has a rotation period of 7.0 hours.[7] It was named for Charles Darwin's ship, HMS Beagle.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference MPC-object was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "beagle". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference springer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Ferret was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Masiero-2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference lcdb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference SDSS-Taxonomy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).