53 Kalypso
Main-belt asteroid / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kalypso (minor planet designation: 53 Kalypso) is a large and very dark main belt asteroid that was discovered by German astronomer Robert Luther on April 4, 1858, at Düsseldorf.[1] It is named after Calypso, a sea nymph in Greek mythology, a name it shares with Calypso, a moon of Saturn.
Discovery[1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Karl Theodor Robert Luther |
Discovery date | 4 April 1858 |
Designations | |
(53) Kalypso | |
Pronunciation | /kəˈlɪpsoʊ/[2] |
Named after | Calypso |
Main belt | |
Adjectives | Kalypsonian /kælɪpˈsoʊniən/[3] Kalypsoian /kælɪpˈsoʊ.iən/ |
Orbital characteristics[4] | |
Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
Aphelion | 471.807 Gm (3.154 AU) |
Perihelion | 311.998 Gm (2.086 AU) |
391.903 Gm (2.620 AU) | |
Eccentricity | 0.204 |
1548.736 d (4.24 a) | |
98.113° | |
Inclination | 5.153° |
143.813° | |
312.330° | |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 115.4 km[4] |
Mass | (1.294 ± 0.520/0.412)×1018 kg[5] |
Mean density | 1.625 ± 0.653/0.517 g/cm3[5][lower-alpha 1] |
9.036[6] h | |
0.040[4][7] | |
8.81[4] | |
The orbit of 53 Kalypso places it in a mean motion resonance with the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The computed Lyapunov time for this asteroid is 19,000 years, indicating that it occupies a chaotic orbit that will change randomly over time because of gravitational perturbations of the planets.[8]
Photometric observations of this asteroid during 2005–06 gave a light curve with a period of 18.075 ± 0.005 hours and a brightness variation of 0.14 in magnitude.[9] In 2009, a photometric study from a different viewing angle was performed at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico, yielding a rotation period of 9.036 ± 0.001 with a brightness variation of 0.14 ± 0.02 magnitude. This is exactly half of the 2005–06 result. The author of the earlier study used additional data observation that favored the 9.036 hour period. The discrepancy was deemed a consequence of viewing the asteroid from different longitudes.[6]