3908 Nyx

Short description: Amor and Mars-crosser asteroid

3908 Nyx

Discovery
Discovered by| Hans-Emil Schuster
Discovery date| 6 August 1980
Designations

MPC designation

| (3908) Nyx
Pronunciation| /ˈnɪks/"Nyx". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Nyx.
Named after| Nyx

Alternative designations

| 1980 PA; 1988 XB1
Minor planet category| Amor; Mars-crosser
Adjectives| Nyctian
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 27 July 2005 (JD 2453578.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc| 13021 days (35.65 yr)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}| 2.81198 astronomical unit|AU (420.666 Gm)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}| 1.04239 AU (155.939 Gm)

Semi-major axis

| 1.92719 AU (288.304 Gm)
Eccentricity| 0.45911
Orbital period| 2.68 yr (977.20 d)
Mean anomaly| 99.7699°
Mean motion| 0° 22m 6.236s / day
Inclination| 2.17667°
Longitude of ascending node| 261.688°

|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}

| 125.978°
Earth MOID| 0.0563399 AU (8.42833 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Mean radius| 0.5 ± 0.075 km
Rotation period| 4.42601 h (0.184417 d)
Geometric albedo| 0.23

Spectral type

| V
Absolute magnitude (H)| 17.3

3908 Nyx is an Amor and Mars-crosser asteroid. It was discovered by Hans-Emil Schuster on August 6, 1980, and is named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, after which Pluto's moon Nix is also named. It is 1–2 km in diameter and is a V-type asteroid, meaning that it may be a fragment of the asteroid 4 Vesta.

## Contents

* 1 Observations
* 2 Name
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Observations

In 2000, radar observations conducted at the Arecibo and Goldstone observatories produced a model of Nyx's shape; the asteroid can best be described as spherical but with many protruding lumps.

## Name

To avoid confusion with 3908 Nyx, Pluto's moon Nix was changed from the initial proposal of the classical spelling Nyx, to Nix.[2]

## See also

* 3551 Verenia
* 4 Vesta
* 4055 Magellan
* HED meteorite
* V-type asteroid

## References

1. ↑ "3908 Nyx (1980 PA)". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=3908;cad=1.
2. ↑ "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. July 21, 2006. http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/append7.html.

## External links

* 3908 Nyx at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
* Ephemeris * Obs prediction * Orbital info * MOID * Proper elements * Obs info * Close * Physical info * NEOCC
* 3908 Nyx at ESA–space situational awareness
* Ephemerides * Observations * Orbit * Physical Properties * Summary
* 3908 Nyx at the JPL Small-Body Database
* Close approach * Discovery * Ephemeris * Orbit diagram * Orbital elements * Physical parameters

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