858 El Djezaïr
<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | F. Sy |
Discovery site | Algiers Observatory |
Discovery date | 26 May 1916 |
Designations | |
MPC designation | 858 El Djezaïr |
Named after
|
Algiers (Arabic name)[2] |
1916 a · A908 UC A911 HE |
|
main-belt | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 27 June 2015 (JD 2457200.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 106.80 yr (39,010 days) |
Aphelion | 3.0970 AU |
Perihelion | 2.5252 AU |
2.8111 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.1017 |
4.71 yr (1,721.5 days) | |
18.745° | |
Inclination | 8.8730° |
67.207° | |
178.97° | |
Earth MOID | 1.5116 AU |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 23.5 km |
22.31 h | |
0.3197 | |
Tholen = S | |
10.2 | |
858 El Djezaïr, provisional designation 1916 a, is a stony asteroid from the asteroid belt, about 24 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on May 26, 1916 by French astronomer Frédéric Sy at the Algiers Observatory in Algeria, North Africa.[1]
The asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.5–3.1 AU once every 4.71 years (1,722 days). The bright S-type asteroid has a very high geometric albedo of 0.32. Its rotation period has been measured to take 22 hours and 20 minutes.[3] Along with the asteroids 68 Leto and 236 Honoria, it is a member of the Leto family, a small, well-defined group of asteroids, all with a semi-major axis of close to 2.8 AU.
El Djezaïr is the French spelling of the Arabic name for Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It means "the island". The asteroid was the first minor planet to receive a name that consists of more than one word.[2] Its designation, 1916 a, is a superseded version of the modern two-letter code system of provisional designation, implemented just a few years later in 1925.
References
External links
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- 858 El Djezaïr at the JPL Small-Body Database
<templatestyles src="Asbox/styles.css"></templatestyles>