132 Aethra

Mars-crossing asteroid

132 Aethra is a metallic asteroid and Mars-crosser on an eccentric orbit from the asteroid belt. It measures approximately 40 kilometers in diameter.

It was discovered by James Craig Watson in 1873 and is the first such Mars-crosser asteroid to be identified. As a Mars-crosser asteroid, Aethra is the lowest numbered asteroid to not have proper orbital elements due to recurring perturbations by Mars. It has a rather eccentric orbit that sometimes brings it closer to the Sun than the planet Mars.

With an original observation arc of only 22 days, 132 Aethra was a lost asteroid between 1873 and 1922.[4][5]

The varying light curve of the asteroid implies an elongated or irregular shape for its body.

It is named after Aethra, the mother of Theseus in Greek mythology.

References

  1. ^ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  2. ^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 132 Aethra" (2000-06-10 last obs). Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b c 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.
  4. ^ Herget, Paul (1938). "The orbit and perturbations of (132) Aethra". Astronomical Journal. 47 (1081): 17–23. Bibcode:1938AJ.....47...17H. doi:10.1086/105455.
  5. ^ Fred William Price (2000). The Planet Observer's Handbook. Cambridge University Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-521-78981-3.
  • 132 Aethra at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
    • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
  • 132 Aethra at the JPL Small-Body Database Edit this at Wikidata
    • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters
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