944 Hidalgo
944 Hidalgo /hɪˈdælɡoʊ/ is a centaur and unusual object on an eccentric, cometary-like orbit between the asteroid belt and the outer Solar System, approximately 52 kilometers (32 miles) in diameter. Discovered by German astronomer Walter Baade in 1920, it is the first member of the dynamical class of centaurs ever to be discovered. The dark D-type object has a rotation period of 10.1 hours and likely an elongated shape. It was named after Mexican revolutionary Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
Animation of 944 Hidalgo's movement over 5 minutes in 2003, taken by the Very Large Telescope. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | W. Baade |
| Discovery site | Bergedorf Obs. |
| Discovery date | 31 October 1920 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | (944) Hidalgo |
| Pronunciation | /hɪˈdælɡoʊ/ |
Named after | Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (Mexican revolutionary) |
Alternative designations | 1920 HZ · A920 UB |
Minor planet category | centaur · main-belt unusual |
| Symbol | (astrological) |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 97.97 yr (35,784 d) |
| Aphelion | 9.5345 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9474 AU |
Semi-major axis | 5.7410 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.6608 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 13.76 yr (5,024 d) |
Mean anomaly | 13.078° |
Mean motion | 0° 4m 18.12s / day |
| Inclination | 42.521° |
Longitude of ascending node | 21.420° |
| 56.651° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.3285 AU |
| TJupiter | 2.0690 |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 52.45±3.60 km 61.4±12.7 km |
Synodic rotation period | 10.063±0.0003 h |
| 0.028 0.042 | |
| Tholen = D | |
| 10.77 | |
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.