248 Lameia
Lameia (minor planet designation: 248 Lameia) is a typical main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on 5 June 1885 in Vienna and was named after the Lamia, a lover of Zeus in Ancient Greek mythology. 248 Lameia is orbiting the Sun with a period of 3.88 years and a low eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.067. The semimajor axis of 2.47 AU is slightly inward from the 3:1 Kirkwood Gap. Its orbital plane is inclined by 4° to the plane of the ecliptic.
Orbital diagram | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Johann Palisa |
| Discovery date | 5 June 1885 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (248) Lameia |
| Pronunciation | /ləˈmiːə/ |
Named after | Lamia |
Alternative designations | A885 LA, 1959 LO |
Minor planet category | Main belt |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 130.86 yr (47,796 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.64 AU (394.30 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.31 AU (345.06 Gm) |
Semi-major axis | 2.47 AU (369.67 Gm) |
| Eccentricity | 0.066588 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 3.88 yr (1,418.9 d) |
Average orbital speed | 18.95 km/s |
Mean anomaly | 264.207° |
Mean motion | 0° 15m 13.392s / day |
| Inclination | 4.0581° |
Longitude of ascending node | 246.845° |
| 10.782° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 48.66±2.5 km |
Synodic rotation period | 11.912 h (0.4963 d) |
| 0.0615±0.007 | |
| 10.2 | |
On 27 June 1998 an occultation of the 8th magnitude star PPM 236753 (HD 188960) by 248 Lameia was timed by five observers near Gauteng, South Africa. The chords produced a rough size estimate of a 62 × 53 km ellipse. The size estimate based on IRAS Minor Planet Survey data is ~49 km. The rotation rate of this object is commensurate with the rotation of the Earth, requiring observations from different locations to build a complete light curve. These yield a rotation estimate of 11.912±0.001 h with a brightness variation of 0.17±0.01 magnitude in amplitude. The same data set gives a size estimate of 47±3 km, in agreement with earlier measurements.
Infrared imaging of this body shows a relatively featureless spectra that suggests materials that are similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.