740 Cantabia
740 Cantabia is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It was discovered on 10 February 1913 at Winchester, Massachusetts by American amateur astronomer J. H. Metcalf. Cantabia is a contraction of Cantabrigia, Latin for Cambridge, named in honor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is orbiting at a distance of 3.05 AU with a period of 5.33 years and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.11. Between 2014 and 2021, 740 Cantabia has been observed to occult three stars.
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Joel Hastings Metcalf |
| Discovery site | Winchester, Massachusetts |
| Discovery date | 10 February 1913 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (740) Cantabia |
| Pronunciation | /kænˈteɪbiə/ |
Alternative designations | 1913 QS |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 103.10 yr (37,659 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.3892 AU (507.02 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.7145 AU (406.08 Gm) |
Semi-major axis | 3.0519 AU (456.56 Gm) |
| Eccentricity | 0.11053 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 5.33 yr (1,947.4 d) |
Mean anomaly | 133.938° |
Mean motion | 0° 11m 5.532s / day |
| Inclination | 10.846° |
Longitude of ascending node | 116.099° |
| 47.844° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 45.45±0.85 km |
Synodic rotation period | 64.453 h (2.6855 d) |
| 0.0552±0.002 | |
| 9.1 | |
This asteroid shows an exceptionally slow rate of spin. Photometry observations from two independent teams during 2009 were combined to generate a light curve showing a rotation period of 64.453 hours (2.69 days) with a brightness variation of 0.16±0.03 in magnitude. The spectrum is classified as type CX in the Tholen taxonomy. It spans a girth estimated at ~91 km.