| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | E. W. Elst |
| Discovery site | CERGA Obs. |
| Discovery date | 19 September 1993 |
| Designations | |
| (10140) Villon | |
Named after | François Villon[1] (French poet) |
| 1993 SX4 · 1973 GZ 1977 KH · 1984 CJ 1990 WQ15 | |
| main-belt[1][2] · (inner) Nysa[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 44.91yr (16,402 d) |
| Aphelion | 2.7383AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1022 AU |
| 2.4203 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1314 |
| 3.77 yr (1,375 d) | |
| 340.65° | |
| 0° 15m 42.48s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.6208° |
| 165.49° | |
| 21.421° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 4.785±0.134 km[4] | |
| 0.280±0.078[4] | |
| 13.7[2] | |
10140 Villon, provisional designation1993 SX4, is a Nysianasteroid from the inner regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 19 September 1993, by Belgian astronomerEric Elst at theCERGA Observatory at Caussols in France.[1] It was named after 15th-century French poetFrançois Villon.[1]
Villon is member of theNysa family (405),[3] one of the largestasteroid families.[5] It orbits the Sun in theinner main-belt at a distance of 2.1–2.7 AU once every 3 years and 9 months (1,375 days;semi-major axis of 2.42 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.13 and aninclination of 3° with respect to theecliptic.[2] The body'sobservation arc begins with its first observations as1973 GZ at theCrimean Astrophysical Observatory in April 1973, more than 20 years prior to its official discovery observation at Caussols.[1]
Villon'sspectral type has not been determined, Based on its family classification and measured albedo(see below), it is likely a stonyS-type asteroid.[5] It has anabsolute magnitude of 13.7.[2] As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve ofVillon has been obtained fromphotometric observations. The body'srotation period,pole and shape remain unknown.[2]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Villon measures 4.785 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.280.[4]
Thisminor planet was named after medieval French poetFrançois Villon (1431–1463).[1] The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 28 July 1999 (M.P.C. 35493).[6]
