1647 Menelaus
1647 Menelaus /mɛnəˈleɪəs/ is a mid-sized Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 42 kilometers (26 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 23 June 1957 by American astronomer Seth Nicholson at the Palomar Observatory in California, and later named after the Spartan King Menelaus from Greek mythology. The dark asteroid has a rotation period of 17.7 hours. It is the principal body of the proposed Menelaus cluster, which encompasses several, mostly tentative Jovian asteroid families.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. B. Nicholson |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 23 June 1957 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (1647) Menelaus |
| Pronunciation | /mɛnəˈleɪəs/ |
Named after | Menelaus (Greek mythology) |
Alternative designations | 1957 MK |
Minor planet category | Jupiter trojan Greek · background |
| Adjectives | Menelaian |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 65.57 yr (23,949 d) |
| Aphelion | 5.3255 AU |
| Perihelion | 5.1006 AU |
Semi-major axis | 5.2130 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.0216 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 11.90 yr (4,347 d) |
Mean anomaly | 101.16° |
Mean motion | 0° 4m 58.08s / day |
| Inclination | 5.6507° |
Longitude of ascending node | 240.32° |
| 298.95° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.1563 AU |
| TJupiter | 2.9900 |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 42.72±0.517 km |
Synodic rotation period | 17.74±0.01 h |
| 0.056±0.009 | |
| C (assumed) V–R = 0.428±0.043 V–I = 0.866±0.043 | |
| 10.5 | |
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