62 Erato
Erato /ˈɛrətoʊ/ (minor planet designation: 62 Erato) 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. 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.
Lightcurve-based 3D-model of Erato | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Oskar Lesser Wilhelm Julius Foerster |
| Discovery date | 14 September 1860 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (62) Erato |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛrətoʊ/ |
Named after | Ἐρατώ Eratō |
Minor planet category | main-belt · (middle) Themis |
| Adjectives | Eratoian /ɛrəˈtoʊ.iən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 December 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| Aphelion | 3.679 AU (550.4 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.566 AU (383.9 Gm) |
Semi-major axis | 3.122 AU (467.0 Gm) |
| Eccentricity | 0.178 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 2,015.178 d (5.52 yr) |
Mean anomaly | 161.828° |
| Inclination | 2.223° |
Longitude of ascending node | 125.738° |
| 273.285° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 95.4 km |
| Mass | ~6.27×1017 kg (calculated) |
Mean density | 1.38 g/cm3 (assumed) |
Synodic rotation period | 5.675±0.001 h or 9.2213±0.0007 h |
| 0.061 | |
| Ch (SMASSII) BU (Tholen) | |
| 8.76 | |
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. It has also been classified as an Eoan asteroid.