VLT image of Bamberga | |
Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Johann Palisa |
Discovery date | 25 February 1892 |
Designations | |
(324) Bamberga | |
Pronunciation | /bæmˈbɜːrɡə/ |
Named after | Bamberg |
Minor planet category | Main belt |
Adjectives | Bambergian /bæmˈbɜːrdʒiən, -ɡiən/ |
Orbital characteristics[1] | |
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 124.08 yr (45321 d) |
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}} | 3.59442 astronomical unit|AU (537.718 Gm) |
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}} | 1.77023 AU (264.823 Gm) |
2.68232 AU (401.269 Gm) | |
Eccentricity | 0.34004 |
Orbital period | 4.39 yr (1604.6 d) |
Mean anomaly | 225.419° |
Mean motion | 0° 13m 27.682s / day |
Inclination | 11.1011° |
Longitude of ascending node | 327.883° |
44.2409° | |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | c/a = 0.96±0.05[2] |
Mean diameter | 227±3 km[2] 234.67 ± 7.80 km[3] 229.4 ± 7.4 km (IRAS)[4] |
Mean density | 1.67±0.16 g/cm3[2] 1.52±0.20 g/cm3[3] |
Rotation period | 1.226 d[5] 29.43 h (1.226 d)[1] |
Geometric albedo | 0.060 (calculated)[2] 0.0628±0.004[4] |
C-type asteroid[6] | |
Absolute magnitude (H) | 6.82[1][4] |
Bamberga (minor planet designation: 324 Bamberga) is one of the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 25 February 1892 in Vienna. It is one of the top-20 largest asteroids in the asteroid belt. Apart from the near-Earth asteroid Eros, it was the last asteroid which is ever easily visible with binoculars to be discovered.
Overall Bamberga is the tenth-brightest main-belt asteroid after, in order, Vesta, Pallas, Ceres, Iris, Hebe, Juno, Melpomene, Eunomia and Flora. Its high eccentricity (for comparison 36% higher than that of Pluto), though, means that at most oppositions other asteroids reach higher magnitudes.
Although its very high orbital eccentricity means its opposition magnitude varies greatly, at a rare opposition near perihelion Bamberga can reach a magnitude of +8.0,[7] which is as bright as Saturn's moon Titan. Such near-perihelion oppositions occur on a regular cycle every twenty-two years, with the last occurring in 2013 and the next in 2035, when attaining magnitude 8.1 on 13 September. Its brightness at these rare near-perihelion oppositions makes Bamberga the brightest C-type asteroid, roughly one magnitude brighter than 10 Hygiea's maximum brightness of around +9.1. At such an opposition Bamberga can in fact be closer to Earth than any main-belt asteroid with magnitude above +9.5, getting as close as 0.78 AU. For comparison, 7 Iris never comes closer than 0.85 AU and 4 Vesta never closer than 1.13 AU (when it becomes visible to the naked eye in a light pollution-free sky).
The 29-hour rotation period is unusually long for an asteroid more than 150 km in diameter.[8] Its spectral class is intermediate between the C-type and P-type asteroids.[6]
10μ radiometric data collected from Kitt Peak in 1975 gave a diameter estimate of 255 km.[9] An occultation of Bamberga was observed on 8 December 1987, and gave a diameter of about 228 km, in agreement with IRAS results. In 1988 a search for satellites or dust orbiting this asteroid was performed using the UH88 telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatories, but the effort came up empty.[10]
Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/324 Bamberga.
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