| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. J. van Houten I. van Houten-G. T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 24 September 1960 |
| Designations | |
| (4354) Euclides | |
| Pronunciation | /juːˈklaɪdiːz/[2] |
Named after | Euclid (ΕὐκλείδηςEukleidēs)[1] (Greek mathematician) |
| 2142 P-L · 1971 BL2 1979 YO6 · 1983 RF | |
| main-belt [1][3] · (middle) Dora [4] | |
| Orbital characteristics [3] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 63.66yr (23,250 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.3787AU |
| Perihelion | 2.2128 AU |
| 2.7957 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2085 |
| 4.67 yr (1,707 d) | |
| 62.073° | |
| 0° 12m 38.88s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.4252° |
| 192.98° | |
| 242.62° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 12.339±0.282 km[5] | |
| 0.051±0.005[5] | |
| C(est.Dora family) | |
| 13.5[1][3] | |
4354 Euclides/juːˈklaɪdiːz/, provisional designation2142 P-L, is a dark Dorianasteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 12 kilometers (7 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1960, by Dutch astronomer coupleIngrid andCornelis van Houten on photographic plates taken by Dutch–American astronomerTom Gehrels atPalomar Observatory in California. The likelyC-type asteroid was named after the Greek mathematicianEuclid.[1]
Euclides is a core member of theDora family (512),[4] a well-established centralasteroid family of more than 1,200 carbonaceous asteroids. The family's namesake is668 Dora. It is alternatively known as the "Zhongolovich family", named after its presumably largest member1734 Zhongolovich. The Dora family may also contain a subfamily.[6][7]: 13, 23
It orbits the Sun in thecentral asteroid belt at a distance of 2.2–3.4 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,707 days;semi-major axis of 2.8 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.21 and aninclination of 7° with respect to theecliptic.[3] The body'sobservation arc begins with aprecovery taken at Palomar in July 1954, or six years prior to its official discovery observation.[1]
Thesurvey designation "P-L" stands forPalomar–Leiden, named after Palomar Observatory andLeiden Observatory, which collaborated on the fruitfulPalomar–Leiden survey in the 1960s. Gehrels used Palomar'sSamuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped thephotographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory whereastrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery ofseveral thousand asteroid discoveries.[8]
Although the asteroidsspectral type has not been determined, it is likely a common, carbonaceousC-type asteroid, asEuclides belongs to the Dora family.[4] As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve ofEuclides has been obtained fromphotometric observations. The body'srotation period,pole and shape remain unknown.[3]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Euclides measures 12.339 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.051, typical for a carbonaceous asteroid.[5]
Thisminor planet was named after the Greek mathematician andEuclid (also: Euclides, or Eukleides). The "father of geometry" lived inAlexandria about 300 B.C.[1] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 8 July 1990 (M.P.C. 16594).[9] The lunar craterEuclides was also named in his honor.
