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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 | |
| (94) Aurora | |
| Pronunciation | /əˈrɔːrə, ɒ-/[1] |
| Named after | Aurōra |
| Minor planet category | 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) |
| |{{{apsis}}}|helion}} | 3.46636 astronomical unit|AU (518.560 Gm) |
| |{{{apsis}}}|helion}} | 2.85175 AU (426.616 Gm) |
| 3.15906 AU (472.589 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.097277 |
| Orbital period | 5.61493 yr (2050.85 d) |
| Average Orbital speed | 16.73 km/s |
| Mean anomaly | 45.7061° |
| Mean motion | 0° 10m 31.908s / day |
| Inclination | 7.97093° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 2.45293° |
| 60.6118° | |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.87872 AU (281.053 Gm) |
| TJupiter | 3.183 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 225 × 173 km[4] |
| Mean diameter | 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][lower-alpha 1] |
Equatorial surface gravity | 0.042 m/s² |
Equatorial escape velocity | 0.0928 km/s |
| Rotation period | 7.22 h (0.301 d)[3] |
| Geometric albedo | 0.0395±0.001[3] 0.0395[6] |
| Physics | ~157 K |
| C[3] | |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 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]