| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 13 September 1923 |
| Designations | |
| (1003) Lilofee | |
Named after | Lilofee[2] (mermaid inGerman folklore) |
| 1923 OK · 1937 FB 1940 TA · 1951 QO 1951 RA2 · 1957 WD2 1962 QH · A915 HB | |
| main-belt · (outer) Themis[3][4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 93.81 yr (34,263 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.6414AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6373 AU |
| 3.1394 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1599 |
| 5.56yr (2,032 days) | |
| 211.31° | |
| 0° 10m 37.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.8402° |
| 139.45° | |
| 317.42° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 27.29±1.83 km[5] 32.292±0.334 km[6] 33.1±3.3 km[7] 33.678±0.334 km[8] 34.04 km(calculated)[3] 36±4 km[9] |
| 8.230±0.004h[10] 8.24991±0.00005 h[11] 8.250±0.001 h[12][a] 8.2506±0.0003 h[10] 8.255±0.002 h[10] | |
| 0.07±0.01[9] 0.08±0.02[3][7] 0.130±0.020[8] 0.1406±0.0213[6] 0.198±0.028[5] | |
| C[3] | |
| 10.20[5][6] · 10.50±0.22[13] · 10.70[3][7][9] · 10.8[1] | |
Lilofee (minor planet designation:1003 Lilofee), provisional designation1923 OK, is a carbonaceous Themistianasteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 33 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 13 September 1923, by astronomerKarl Reinmuth at theHeidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany.[14] The asteroid was named after the Black Forestmermaid "Lilofee" fromGerman folklore.[2]
Lilofee is a member of theThemis family (602),[3][4] a very largefamily of carbonaceous, low-inclination asteroids, named after24 Themis.[15]: 23 It orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.6–3.6 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,032 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.16 and aninclination of 2° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
The asteroid was first identified asA915 HB atBergedorf Observatory in April 1915. The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Heidelberg.[14]
Lilofee is an assumed carbonaceousC-type asteroid,[3] which corresponds to the overallspectral type of the Themis family.[15]: 23
Since 2004, several rotationallightcurves of Lilofee were obtained from photometric observations by astronomersRené Roy, Enric Forné andRobert Stephens. Lightcurve analysis gave arotation period of 8.255 hours with a brightness variation of 0.57magnitude (U=2+/3/3).[10][12][a]
In 2013, an international study modeled a lightcurve with a concurring period of 8.24991 hours and found aspin axis of (n.a., −99.0°) inecliptic coordinates (λ, β).[11]
According to the surveys carried out by the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Lilofee measures between 27.29 and 36 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.07 and 0.198.[5][6][7][8][9]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts an albedo of 0.08 and calculates a diameter of 34.04 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 10.7.[3]
Thisminor planet was named after the legendarymermaid/neck Lilofee, who lived in the smallMummelsee of theBlack Forest in southwest Germany. Lilofee is also the title figure in the German folk-songThe beautiful young Lilofee ("Die schöne junge Lilofee") by August Schnezler (1809–1853).[2]
The asteroid was named by the discoverer (RI 402). The name was proposed byARI-astronomer Johannes Riem, after whom1025 Riema was named. The official naming citation was also mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 96).[2]
