244 Sita is a background asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) in diameter.[1] It was discovered on 14 October 1884, by an Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa in the Vienna Observatory and was named for the Hindu deity Sita.[5]
_Sita.png) 3D model based on lightcurve data | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Johann Palisa |
| Discovery date | 14 October 1884 |
| Designations | |
| (244) Sita | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsiːtə/ |
Named after | Sita |
| A884 TA, 1900 UA 1957 KT, 1976 HY 1979 FL3 | |
| main-belt | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 130.93 yr (47824 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.47317 AU (369.981 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 1.87531 AU (280.542 Gm) |
| 2.17424 AU (325.262 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.13749 |
| 3.21 yr (1,171.0 d) | |
| 46.3767° | |
| 0° 18m 26.737s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.84423° |
| 208.982° | |
| 166.029° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 10.95±0.8 km [1] 11 km [2] | |
| Mass | ~2×1015 (estimate) |
Mean density | ~2.7 g/cm3 (estimate) [3] |
| 129.51 h (5.396 d) | |
| 0.1941±0.033 [1] 0.194 [2] | |
| S [4] | |
| 11.9 | |
This minor planet is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.17 AU with an eccentricity of 0.137 and an orbital period of 3.21 yr. The orbital plane is tilted at an angle of 2.84° to the plane of the ecliptic.[1] It is spinning slowly, completing a rotation about its axis once every 129.056 ± 0.021 h (5.377 ± 0.001 d).[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "244 Sita". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Supplemental IRAS Minor Planet Survey". Archived from the original on 23 June 2006.
- ^ G. A. Krasinsky, E. V. Pitjeva, M. V. Vasilyev, E. I. Yagudina (2002). "Hidden Mass in the Asteroid Belt". Icarus. 158 (1): 98–105. Bibcode:2002Icar..158...98K. doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6837.
- ^ PDS spectral class data
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz (5 August 2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783540002383 – via Google Books.
- ^ Vander Haagen, Gary A. (April 2010). "Lightcurve and H-G Parameters for Slow Rotator 244 Sita". Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers. 37 (2): 44–45. Bibcode:2010MPBu...37...44V.
External links
edit- The Asteroid Orbital Elements Database
- Minor Planet Discovery Circumstances
- 244 Sita at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 244 Sita at the JPL Small-Body Database
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