2202 Pele
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. R. Klemola |
| Discovery site | Lick Observatory |
| Discovery date | 7 September 1972 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2202 Pele |
|
Named after
|
Pele (Hawaiian deity)[2] |
| 1972 RA | |
| NEO · Amor Mars-crosser |
|
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 42.59 yr (15555 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.4642 AU (518.24 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 1.1167 AU (167.06 Gm) |
| 2.2904 AU (342.64 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.51247 |
| 3.47 yr (1266.1 d) | |
| 165.86° | |
| Inclination | 8.7451° |
| 169.98° | |
| 217.93° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.14326 AU (21.431 Gm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 2.01053 AU (300.771 Gm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 1.5±0.5 km (conversion)[3] |
| 17.2[1] | |
2202 Pele, provisional designation 1972 RA, is a small and eccentric asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object, roughly between 1 and 2 kilometers in diameter. It is an Amor asteroid, the second largest subgroup of near-Earth objects, that approach the orbit of Earth from beyond, but does not cross it. The asteroid was discovered by American astronomer Arnold Klemola at the U.S. Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, California, on 7 September 1972.[4]
Since the asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.1–3.5 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,267 days), it crosses the orbit of Mars, which also makes it a Mars-crosser. Its orbit is tilted by 9 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic and shows a very high eccentricity of 0.51. For a near-Earth object, it has a relatively large Earth minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.1463 AU (21,890,000 km), which translate into 60 lunar distances.[1]
Little is actually known about the asteroid's composition, rotation, albedo, and its effective size, despite having a well-observed orbit with the lowest possible uncertainty – a condition code of 0 – and an observation arc that spans over a period of nearly half a century.[1] Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, which assumes an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.25, its diameter could be anywhere between 1 and 2 kilometers.[3]
The minor planet was named after Pele, the goddess of fire within the Hawaiian mythology. She made her home in the volcanoes Kilauea, after being driven out of the western sea by her angry sister, the sea goddess.[2]
References
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
- 2202 Pele at the JPL Small-Body Database
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