179 Klytaemnestra is a stony Telramund asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 77 kilometers (48 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 11 November 1877, by Canadian-American astronomer James Craig Watson at the old Ann Arbor Observatory in Michigan, United States.[1] It was his last discovery three years before his death.[16] The transitional S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 11.17 hours.[5] It was named after Clytemnestra from Greek mythology.[3]

179 Klytaemnestra
3D convex shape model of 179 Klytaemnestra
Discovery[1]
Discovered byJ. C. Watson
Discovery siteAnn Arbor Obs.
Discovery date11 November 1877
Designations
(179) Klytaemnestra
Pronunciation/klɪtɪmˈnɛstrə/[2]
Named after
Clytemnestra[3]
(Greek mythology)
A877 VC
main-belt[1][4] · (outer)[5]
Telramund[6]
Orbital characteristics[4]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc119.12 yr (43,507 d)
Aphelion3.3085 AU
Perihelion2.6356 AU
2.9720 AU
Eccentricity0.1132
5.12 yr (1,871 d)
194.50°
0° 11m 32.64s / day
Inclination7.8163°
251.91°
103.64°
Physical characteristics
64.25±0.79 km[7]
69.946±0.518 km[8]
72.786±0.799 km[9]
75.02±3.21 km[10]
77.69±1.4 km[11]
90.17±1.53 km[12]
Mass(2.49±1.19)×1017 kg[10]
Mean density
1.12±0.55 g/cm3[10]
11.13±0.02 h[13]
11.173 h[14]
11.17342±0.00005 h[15]
0.119±0.018[12]
0.1609±0.006[11]
0.1833±0.0578[9]
0.198±0.011[8]
0.245±0.007[7]
Tholen = S[4]
SMASS = Sk[4]
B–V = 0.832[4]
U–B = 0.408[4]
8.15[4][5][7][9][11][12]
8.22[14]

Orbit and classification

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Together with asteroid 9506 Telramund, Klytaemnestra is the largest members of the Telramund family (614),[6] a mid-sized family of stony asteroids in the outer main belt, which is also known as the Klytaemnestra family.[17]: 23 

It orbits the Sun in the outer main-belt at a distance of 2.6–3.3 AU once every 5 years and 1 month (1,871 days; semi-major axis of 2.97 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.11 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.[4] The body's observation arc begins at Lick Observatory in February 1899, more than 21 years after to its official discovery observation at Ann Arbor.[1]

Physical characteristics

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In the Tholen classification, Klytaemnestra is a common stony S-type asteroid,[4] while in the SMASS classification it is a Sk-subtype, that transitions between the S- and K-type asteroids.[4]

Rotation period and poles

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Photometric observations of this asteroid at the Oakley Observatory in Terre Haute, Indiana, during 2006 gave a light curve with a period of 11.13 ± 0.02 hours and a brightness variation of 0.55 ± 0.02 in magnitude (U=2).[13] A better rated lightcurve, already obtained by Alan Harris in October 1979, gave a period of 11.173 hours with an amplitude of 0.35 (U=3).[14]

A modeled lightcurve using photometric data from a larger international collaboration was published in 2016. It gave a period of 11.17342 hours, identical to the 1979-observations by Harris, as well as two spin axes at (65.0°, −6.0°) and (248.0°, −9.0°) in ecliptic coordinates (λ, β).[15]

Diameter and albedo

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According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Klytaemnestra measures between 64.25 and 90.17 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.119 and 0.245.[7][8][9][11][12]

The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.1609 and a diameter of 77.69 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 8.15.[5]

Naming

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This minor planet was named from Greek mythology after Clytemnestra, the daughter of Leda and the Spartan king Tyndareus. She was the wife of Agamemnon and the mother Orestes, Electra, Iphigenia and Chrysothemis. Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon on his return from the Trojan War.[3] The minor planets (38), (112), (130), (911), (637) and (8125) were named after these mythological figures.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "179 Klytaemnestra". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  2. ^ 'Clytemnestra' in Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  3. ^ a b c Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). "(179) Klytaemnestra". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 31. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_180. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 179 Klytaemnestra" (2018-03-27 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "LCDB Data for (179) Klytaemnestra". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Asteroid 179 Klytaemnestra". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
  8. ^ a b c Masiero, Joseph R.; Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Nugent, C. R.; Bauer, J. M.; Stevenson, R.; et al. (August 2014). "Main-belt Asteroids with WISE/NEOWISE: Near-infrared Albedos". The Astrophysical Journal. 791 (2): 11. arXiv:1406.6645. Bibcode:2014ApJ...791..121M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/791/2/121. S2CID 119293330.
  9. ^ a b c d Mainzer, A.; Grav, T.; Masiero, J.; Hand, E.; Bauer, J.; Tholen, D.; et al. (November 2011). "NEOWISE Studies of Spectrophotometrically Classified Asteroids: Preliminary Results". The Astrophysical Journal. 741 (2): 25. arXiv:1109.6407. Bibcode:2011ApJ...741...90M. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/741/2/90. S2CID 118700974.
  10. ^ a b c Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, 73 (1): 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009, S2CID 119226456 See Table 1.
  11. ^ a b c d Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System. 12: IRAS-A-FPA-3-RDR-IMPS-V6.0. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  12. ^ a b c d Masiero, Joseph R.; Mainzer, A. K.; Grav, T.; Bauer, J. M.; Cutri, R. M.; Nugent, C.; et al. (November 2012). "Preliminary Analysis of WISE/NEOWISE 3-Band Cryogenic and Post-cryogenic Observations of Main Belt Asteroids". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 759 (1): 5. arXiv:1209.5794. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759L...8M. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/759/1/L8. S2CID 46350317.
  13. ^ a b Ditteon, Richard; Hawkins, Scot (September 2007). "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Oakley Observatory - October-November 2006". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 34 (3): 59–64. Bibcode:2007MPBu...34...59D. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  14. ^ a b c Harris, A. W.; Young, J. W. (April 1983). "Asteroid rotation. IV". Icarus. 54 (1): 59–109. Bibcode:1983Icar...54...59H. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(83)90072-6. ISSN 0019-1035. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  15. ^ a b Hanus, J.; Durech, J.; Oszkiewicz, D. A.; Behrend, R.; Carry, B.; Delbo, M.; et al. (February 2016). "New and updated convex shape models of asteroids based on optical data from a large collaboration network". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 586: 24. arXiv:1510.07422. Bibcode:2016A&A...586A.108H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201527441. S2CID 119112278.
  16. ^ Leuschner, Armin O. (March 1919). "Perturbations and Tables of the Minor Planets Discovered by James C. Watson". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 5 (3): 67–76. Bibcode:1919PNAS....5...67L. doi:10.1073/pnas.5.3.67. PMC 1091533. PMID 16586800.
  17. ^ Nesvorný, D.; Broz, M.; Carruba, V. (December 2014). "Identification and Dynamical Properties of Asteroid Families". Asteroids IV. pp. 297–321. arXiv:1502.01628. Bibcode:2015aste.book..297N. doi:10.2458/azu_uapress_9780816532131-ch016. ISBN 9780816532131. S2CID 119280014.
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