94 Aurora
 A three-dimensional model of 94 Aurora based on its light curve on the top with the image of the asteroid on the bottom. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | James Craig Watson |
| Discovery date | 6 September 1867 |
| Designations | |
| Pronunciation | /əˈrɔːrə, ɒ-/[1] |
Named after | Aurōra |
| Main belt | |
| Adjectives | Aurorean /ɔːˈrɔːriən/[2] |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 9 June 2026 (JD 2461200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 153.69 yr (56136 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.46636 AU (518.560 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.85175 AU (426.616 Gm) |
| 3.15906 AU (472.589 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.097277 |
| 5.61493 yr (2050.85 d) | |
Average orbital speed | 16.73 km/s |
| 45.7061° | |
| 0° 10m 31.908s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.97093° |
| 2.45293° | |
| 60.6118° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.87872 AU (281.053 Gm) |
| TJupiter | 3.183 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 225 × 173 km[4] |
| 204.89±3.6 km (IRAS)[3] | |
| Mass | (6.606 ± 2.584/2.173)×1018 kg[5] |
Mean density | 1.676 ± 0.655/0.551 g/cm3[5][a] |
Equatorial surface gravity | 0.042 m/s² |
Equatorial escape velocity | 0.0928 km/s |
| 7.22 h (0.301 d)[3] | |
| 0.0395±0.001[3] 0.0395[6] | |
| Temperature | ~157 K |
| C[3] | |
| 7.74[3] | |
94 Aurora is one of the largest main-belt asteroids. With an albedo of only 0.04, it is darker than soot, and has a primitive composition consisting of carbonaceous material. It was discovered by J. C. Watson on 6 September 1867 in Ann Arbor, and named after Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn.
This asteroid is orbiting the Sun with a period of 5.62 years and a relatively low eccentricity of 0.092. It is spinning with a rotation period of 7.22 hours. Observations of an occultation using nine chords indicate an oval outline of 225×173 km.[4] The asteroid's pole of rotation lies just 4–16° away from the plane of the ecliptic.[7]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Assuming a diameter of 196 ± 4 km.
References
[edit]- ↑ "aurora". Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ↑ "aurorean". Oxford English Dictionary (online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
But see 'aurora' for the first vowel. - 1 2 3 4 5 6 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 94 Aurora" (2026-04-06 last obs). Retrieved 24 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Occultation of TYC 6910-01938-1 by (94) Aurora - 2001 October 12". Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2008. (Chords) Archived 2008-10-21 at the Wayback Machine
- 1 2 Fienga, A.; Avdellidou, C.; Hanuš, J. (February 2020). "Asteroid masses obtained with INPOP planetary ephemerides". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 492 (1): 589–602. doi:10.1093/mnras/stz3407.
- ↑ Asteroid Data Sets Archived 2009-12-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Marciniak, A.; et al. (May 2011), "Photometry and models of selected main belt asteroids. VIII. Low-pole asteroids", Astronomy & Astrophysics, 529: 14, Bibcode:2011A&A...529A.107M, doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201015365, A107
External links
[edit]- 94 Aurora at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 94 Aurora at the JPL Small-Body Database
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