81 Terpsichore

Orbital diagram

Discovery
Discovered by| Ernst Wilhelm Tempel
Discovery date| September 30, 1864
Designations

MPC designation

| (81) Terpsichore
Pronunciation| /tɜːrpˈsɪxərɛ/[1]
Named after| Terpsichore
Minor planet category| Main belt
Adjectives| Terpsichorean /tɜːrpsɪxəˈriːən/[1]
Orbital characteristics
Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}| 516.955 million km (3.456 AU)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}| 337.132 million km (2.254 AU)

Semi-major axis

| 427.044 million km (2.855 AU)
Eccentricity| 0.211
Orbital period| 1761.647 d (4.82 a)
Average Orbital speed| 17.43 km/s
Mean anomaly| 149.581°
Inclination| 7.809°
Longitude of ascending node| 1.497°

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

| 50.234°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions| 121.77 ± 2.34 km[2]
Mass| (6.19 ± 5.31) × 1018 kg[2]
Mean density| 6.54 ± 5.62 g/cm3[2]
Rotation period| 10.943 hr
Geometric albedo| 0.051 [3]

Spectral type

| C
Absolute magnitude (H)| 8.48

81 Terpsichore is a large and very dark main-belt asteroid. It has most probably a very primitive carbonaceous composition. It was found by the prolific comet discoverer Ernst Tempel on September 30, 1864.[4] It is named after Terpsichore, the Muse of dance in Greek mythology.

This object is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.855 astronomical unit|AU with a moderate eccentricity of 0.212 and an orbital period of 4.82 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 7.80° relative to the plane of the ecliptic. Infrared measurements provide a diameter estimate of 117.7±0.7 km. It has the spectrum of a carbonaceous C-type asteroid.[5]

Photometric observations of the minor planet in 2011 gave a rotation period of 10.945±0.001 h with an amplitude of 0.09±0.01 in magnitude. This result is consistent with previous determinations.[6] Two stellar occultation events involving this asteroid were observed from multiple sites in 2009. The resulting chords matched a smooth elliptical cross-section with dimensions of 134.0±4.0 km × 108.9±0.7 km.[7]

## In popular culture

A space station orbiting 81 Terpsichore is the main setting in the science fiction story The Dark Colony (Asteroid Police Book 1) by Richard Penn.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Terpsichore (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, September 2005, http://oed.com/search?searchType=dictionary&q=Terpsichore (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science 73: pp. 98–118, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009, Bibcode: 2012P&SS...73...98C. See Table 1.
3. ↑ Asteroid Data Sets
4. ↑ Tempel, M. (November 1864), "Minor Planet 81 Terpsichore discovered", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 25: 31, Bibcode: 1864MNRAS..25...31T.
5. ↑ "Small-Body Database Lookup: 81 Terpsichore (A864 SA)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=20000081.
6. ↑ Pilcher, Frederick (July 2011), "Rotation Period Determinations for 28 Bellona, 81 Terpsichore, 126 Velleda 150 Nuwa, 161 Athor, 419 Aurelia, and 632 Pyrrha", The Minor Planet Bulletin 38 (3): 156−158, Bibcode: 2011MPBu...38..156P.
7. ↑ Timerson, Brad; Durech, J.; Pilcher, F. et al. (October 2010), "Occultations by 81 Terpsichore and 694 Ekard in 2009 at Different Rotational Phase Angles", The Minor Planet Bulletin 37 (4): 140−142, Bibcode: 2010MPBu...37..140T.

## External links

* 81 Terpsichore at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
* Ephemeris * Observation prediction * Orbital info * Proper elements * Observational info
* 81 Terpsichore at the JPL Small-Body Database
* Close approach * Discovery * Ephemeris * Orbit diagram * Orbital elements * Physical parameters

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