| Minorplanet | yes |
|---|---|
| Background |
|
| Discoverer | |
| Discovered | 14 September 1860 |
| Mpc name | (62) Erato |
| Pronounced | /ˈɛrətoʊ/[1] |
| Adjective | Eratoian /ɛrəˈtoʊ.iən/ |
| Named after | Ἐρατώ Eratō |
| Mp category | |
| Epoch | 31 December 2006 (JD 2454100.5) |
| Semimajor | 3.122 AU (467.0 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.566 AU (383.9 Gm) |
| Aphelion | 3.679 AU (550.4 Gm) |
| Eccentricity | 0.178 |
| Period | 2,015.178 days |
| Inclination | 2.223° |
| Asc node | 125.738° |
| Arg peri | 273.285° |
| Mean anomaly | 161.828° |
| Mean diameter | 95.4 km |
| Mass | c. 6.27×1017 kg (calculated) |
| Density | 1.38 g/cm3 (assumed)[3] |
| Rotation | 5.675 ± 0.001 hours[4] or 9.2213 ± 0.0007 hours[5] |
| Abs magnitude | 8.76 |
| Albedo | 0.061[6] |
62 Erato (/ˈɛrətoʊ/) is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 95 kilometers (59 miles) in diameter. It is a member of the Themis family of asteroids that share similar properties and orbital characteristics. Photometric measurements during 2004–2005 showed a rotation period of 9.2213 ± 0.0007 hours with an amplitude of 0.116 ± 0.005 in magnitude.[5] It is orbiting the Sun with a period of 2,015.178 days, 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.
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.[7] It has also been classified as a member of the Eos family.[4]
References
- ^ Noah Webster (1884). A Practical Dictionary of the English Language.
- ^ "Asteroid 62 Erato". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Krasinsky, G. A.; Pitjeva, E. V.; Vasilyev, M. V.; Yagudina, E. I. (July 2002). "Hidden Mass in the Asteroid Belt". Icarus. 158 (1): 98–105. Bibcode:2002Icar..158...98K. doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6837
- ^ Alvarez-Candal, Alvaro et al. (December 2004), "Rotational lightcurves of asteroids belonging to families", Icarus. 172 (2): 388–401, Bibcode:2004Icar..172..388A. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2004.06.008
- ^ Gonçalves, Rui M. D. & Behrend, Raoul (March 2006), "Lightcurve of 62 Erato", Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers. 33 (1): 7, Bibcode:2006MPBu...33....7G
- ^ "Asteroid Data Sets". Planetary Data System Asteroid/Dust Archive. NASA. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2007.
- ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer. p. 21. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.