241 Germania is a very large main-belt asteroid.[1] It was discovered by Robert Luther on 12 September 1884 in Düsseldorf.[1] Germania is named after Germany.[1]
 Orbit diagram of Germania | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Robert Luther[1] |
| Discovery date | 12 September 1884 |
| Designations | |
| Pronunciation | /dʒərˈmeɪniə/[2] |
Named after | Germany[1] |
| A884 RA 1953 US 1953 VK1[1][3] | |
| Main belt[3] | |
| Adjectives | Germanian |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 141.38 yr (51640 d)[1] |
| Aphelion | 3.36950 AU (504.070 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 2.72240 AU (407.265 Gm) |
| 3.04595 AU (455.668 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.106224 |
| 5.316 yr (1941.7 d) | |
Average orbital speed | 17.04 km/s |
| 277.959° | |
| 0° 11m 6.598s / day | |
| Inclination | 5.51789° |
| 270.134° | |
| 78.9146° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 168.90±3.1 km[1] 181.55±6.81 km[4] |
| Mass | (7.386 ± 2.511/2.119)×1018 kg[4] |
Mean density | 2.357 ± 0.801/0.676 g/cm3[4] |
| 15.51 h (0.646 d)[1] | |
| 0.0575±0.002[1] | |
| CP/B[1] B-V = 0.689±0.015[1] U-B = 0.289±0.034[1] | |
| 7.73[1] | |
The object measures approximately 169 to 182 km in diameter and rotates on its axis once every 16 hours.[1][4] It is classified as a B-type asteroid and is probably composed of dark, primitive carbonaceous material.[4]
Discovery
editGermania was discovered by Robert Luther on 12 September 1884 in Düsseldorf.[1]
Naming
editObservations
editThe observation arc of Germania began on 24 November 1884 and was last observed on 14 April 2026.[1] Giving it a long observation arc of 141 years.[1] In these 141 years, Germania has been observed 6571 times.[1]
Orbit
editGermania is a main belt asteroid[3] that orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.722–3.695 astronomical units (AU) with a semi-major axis or average orbital distance of 3.046 AU once every 5.32 years[1] (for reference, Ceres's orbit is at 2.77 AU).[5]
Germania's orbit has an eccentricity of 0.1062 and an inclination of 5.518° with respect to the ecliptic.[1]
Physical characteristics
editSee also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 241 Germania". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ↑ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
- 1 2 3 4 "(241) Germania = 1884 RA = 1953 US = 1953 VK1". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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.
- ↑ "AstDyS-2 Ceres Synthetic Proper Orbital Elements". Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, Italy. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
External links
edit- The Asteroid Orbital Elements Database
- Minor Planet Discovery Circumstances
- Asteroid Lightcurve Data File
- 241 Germania at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 241 Germania at the JPL Small-Body Database
