_Aegle.png) Lightcurve-base 3D-model of 96 Aegle. | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | J. Coggia |
| Discovery site | Marseille Obs. |
| Discovery date | 17 February 1868 |
| Designations | |
| (96) Aegle | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛɡliː/[2][3] |
Named after | Aegle(Hesperid of Greek mythology)[4][a] |
| main-belt[1][5] · (outer)[6] Aegle[7] | |
| Adjectives | Aeglean/ɛɡˈliːən/ |
| Orbital characteristics[5] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 149.92yr (54,760 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.4796AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6251 AU |
| 3.0524 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1400 |
| 5.33 yr (1,948 d) | |
| 29.930° | |
| 0° 11m 5.28s / day | |
| Inclination | 15.963° |
| 321.60° | |
| 208.97° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 178.7 km × 148.3 km[b] |
| 156 km[8] 162.85 km(calculated)[6] 164.77±2.54 km[9] 167.92±5.49 km[10] 170.02±3.4 km[11] 177.77±1.54 km[12] | |
| Mass | (6.48±6.26)×1018 kg[10] |
Meandensity | 2.61±2.53 g/cm3[10] |
| 10 h(poor)[13] 10.470 h(poor)[14] 13.82±0.01 h[15] 13.82±0.01 h[16] 13.868±0.001 h[17][c] 26.53±0.01 h(poor)[18] | |
| 0.048±0.007[12] 0.0523±0.002[11] 0.056±0.002[9] 0.058(assumed)[6] | |
| Tholen =T[5] SMASS =T[5][6] Bus–DeMeo =T[19] B–V = 0.775[5] U–B = 0.337[5] | |
| 7.54[18] · 7.65[6] 7.65±0.07[13][20] 7.67[5][9][11][12] | |
96 Aegle is a carbonaceousasteroid and the namesake of theAegle family located in the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 170 kilometers (110 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 17 February 1868, by French astronomerJérôme Coggia at theMarseille Observatory in southeastern France.[1] The rareT-type asteroid has arotation period of 13.8 hours and has been observed several times duringoccultation events.[6] It was named afterAegle ("brightness"), one of theHesperides (nymphs of the evening) from Greek mythology.[4][a]
Aegle is theparent body of theAegle family (630), a very smallasteroid family of less than a hundred known members.[7][21]: 23 It orbits the Sun in theouter asteroid belt at a distance of 2.6–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 4 months (1,948 days;semi-major axis of 3.05 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.14 and aninclination of 16° with respect to theecliptic.[5] The body'sobservation arc begins atLitchfield Observatory (789) in August 1870, two and a half years after its official discovery observation at Marseille.[1]
In both theTholen andSMASS classification as well as in theBus–DeMeo taxonomy,Aegle is a rare, anhydrousT-type asteroid,[5] while the overallspectral type for the Aegle family is typically that of aC- andX-type.[21]: 23
Photometric observations of the asteroid by American photometristFrederick Pilcher from his Organ Mesa Observatory (G50) in New Mexico during 2016−17 showed an irregularlightcurve with a synodicrotation period of 13.868 hours and anamplitude of 0.11 inmagnitude (U=3).[17][c]
This result is in good agreement with two previous observations byRobert Stephens, and byCyril Cavadore andPierre Antonini who measured a period of 13.82 hours and a brightness variation of 0.12 and 0.05, respectively (U=3/2-).[16][15] Other rotational lightcurves obtained by Alan Harris (10 h; 1980),[13] by Italian (10.47 h; 2000),[14] and Swiss/French astronomers (13.82 h; 2005),[16] and at theColgate University (26.53 h; 2001),[18] are of poor quality (U=n.a./1/1/1).[6]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Aegle measures between 156 and 178 kilometers in diameter and its surface has a lowalbedo between 0.048 and 0.056.[8][9][11][12] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.058 and calculates a diameter of 162.85 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 7.65.[6] It has an estimated mass of(6.48±6.26)×1018 kg with a density of2.61±2.53 g/cm3.[10]
Aegle has been observedocculting stars several times. On 5 January 2010, it occulted the starTYC 0572-01644-1 as seen fromIbaraki, Japan, and allowed to determine a cross-section of178.7 × 148.3 kilometers.[b] In New Zealand, on 18 February 2002, it occulted the starTYC 7299-00684 in the constellation ofCentaurus for approximately 12.7 seconds during which a drop of 2.1 in magnitude was to be expected.[d]
Thisminor planet was named afterAegle) one of theHesperides inGreek mythology. The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 13).[4][a]
