730 Athanasia

730 Athanasia (prov. designation: A912 GG or 1912 OK) is a background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Vienna Observatory on 10 April 1912.[1] The presumed stony S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 5.7 hours and is likely very elongated in shape. It was named Athanasia, the Greek word for "immortality".[3]

730 Athanasia
Discovery [1]
Discovered byJ. Palisa
Discovery siteVienna Obs.
Discovery date10 April 1912
Designations
(730) Athanasia
Pronunciation/ˌæθəˈneɪʒiə/[2]
Named after
Immortality
(from Greek)[3]
A912 GG · 2016 FP6
1912 OK
Orbital characteristics [4]
Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc108.05 yr (39,464 d)
Aphelion2.6429 AU
Perihelion1.8450 AU
2.2440 AU
Eccentricity0.1778
3.36 yr (1,228 d)
52.393°
0° 17m 35.52s / day
Inclination4.2348°
95.073°
123.60°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
4.497±0.734 km[4][8]
5.7348±0.0001 h[9][lower-alpha 1]
0.289±0.123[4][8]
S (assumed)[10]

    Orbit and classification

    Located in the region of the Flora family (402),[10] a giant asteroid family and the largest family of stony asteroids in the main-belt, Athanasia is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population when applying the hierarchical clustering method to its proper orbital elements.[5][6][7] It orbits the Sun in the inner asteroid belt at a distance of 1.8–2.6 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,228 days; semi-major axis of 2.24 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 4° with respect to the ecliptic.[4] The body's observation arc begins at Vienna Observatory on 15 April 1912, or five nights after its official discovery observation.[1]

    Naming

    This minor planet was named by friends of the discoverer after the Greek word for immortality, "athanasia". Any reference to a person or occurrence is unknown. The naming was mentioned in The Names of the Minor Planets by Paul Herget in 1955 (H 73).[3]

    Physical characteristics

    Athanasia is an assumed, stony S-type asteroid.[10]

    Rotation period

    In February 2016, a rotational lightcurve of Athanasia was obtained from photometric observations by Frederick Pilcher at the Organ Mesa Observatory (G50) in New Mexico, United States. Analysis gave a classically shaped, well-defined bimodal lightcurve with a rotation period of 5.7348±0.0001 hours and a very high brightness variation of 0.63±0.04 magnitude, indicative of an highly elongated shape (U=3).[9][lower-alpha 1] In May 2013, Pilcher already observed the object and reported a ambiguous period of 5.7345 or 8.6016 hours with an amplitude of 0.14 magnitude (U=2+).[11][lower-alpha 2]

    Diameter and albedo

    According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Athanasia measures (4.497±0.734) kilometers in diameter and its surface has a high albedo of (0.289±0.123).[8] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a Florian asteroid of 0.24 and calculates a diameter of 4.94 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 13.7.[10]

    Notes
    1. Lightcurve-plot of (730) Athanasia, by Frederick Pilcher at the Organ Mesa Observatory (2016). Rotation period of 5.7348 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.63 mag. Quality code is 3. Summary figures at the LCDB and ALSC websites.
    2. Lightcurve-plot of (730) Athanasia, by Frederick Pilcher at the Organ Mesa Observatory (2013). Rotation period of 5.7345 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.14 mag. Quality code is 2+. Summary figures at the LCDB and ALSC websites.

    References
    1. "730 Athanasia (A912 GG)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
    2. 'Athanasius' in Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
    3. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(730) Athanasia". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 70. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_731. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
    4. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 730 Athanasia (A912 GG)" (2020-04-28 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
    5. "Asteroid 730 Athanasia – Proper Elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
    6. "Asteroid 730 Athanasia". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
    7. Zappalà, V.; Bendjoya, Ph.; Cellino, A.; Farinella, P.; Froeschle, C. (1997). "Asteroid Dynamical Families". NASA Planetary Data System: EAR-A-5-DDR-FAMILY-V4.1. Retrieved 10 June 2020.} (PDS main page)
    8. Nugent, C. R.; Mainzer, A.; Bauer, J.; Cutri, R. M.; Kramer, E. A.; Grav, T.; et al. (September 2016). "NEOWISE Reactivation Mission Year Two: Asteroid Diameters and Albedos". The Astronomical Journal. 152 (3): 12. arXiv:1606.08923. Bibcode:2016AJ....152...63N. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/152/3/63.
    9. Pilcher, Frederick (July 2016). "Rotation Period Determinations for 123 Brunhild, 314 Rosalia 346 Hermentaria, 633 Zelima, and 730 Athanasia" (PDF). Minor Planet Bulletin. 43 (3): 222–224. Bibcode:2016MPBu...43..222P. ISSN 1052-8091.
    10. "LCDB Data for (730) Athanasia". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 10 June 2020.
    11. Pilcher, Frederick (October 2013). "Rotation Period Determination for 730 Athanasia" (PDF). Minor Planet Bulletin. 40 (4): 194–195. Bibcode:2013MPBu...40..194P. ISSN 1052-8091.
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