 Lightcurve-base 3D-model of 279 Thule. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Johann Palisa |
| Discovery date | 25 October 1888 |
| Designations | |
| (279) Thule | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈθjuːliː/[1] |
| A888 UA, 1920 GA 1923 RA, 1927 EC 1954 FF[2] | |
| Asteroid belt (Thule) | |
| Adjectives | Thulean/ˈθjuːliən/[3] |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 125.34 yr (45780 d) |
| Aphelion | 4.4617880 AU (667.47398 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 4.2367660 AU (633.81117 Gm) |
| 4.3492770 AU (650.64258 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.025869 |
| 9.07yr (3313.0d) | |
| 62.75874° | |
| 0° 6m 31.184s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.323774° |
| 72.46791° | |
| 42.36797° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 115±12 km[4] 119±13 km[4] |
| 23.896 h (0.9957 d)[2] | |
| 0.0412±0.003[2] | |
| Temperature | 133 K |
| B−V=0.75[2] U−B=0.32[2] D(Tholen)[2] X(SMASSII)[2] | |
| 8.57[2] | |
279 Thule is a largeasteroid from the outerasteroid belt. It is classified as aD-type asteroid and is probably composed of organic-richsilicates,carbon andanhydrous silicates. Thule was the first asteroid discovered with a semi-major axis greater than 4 AU. It was discovered byJohann Palisa on 25 October 1888 inVienna and was named after the ultimate northern land ofThule.
Thule was the first discovered member of theThule dynamical group, which as of 2008 was known to consist of three objects: 279 Thule,(186024) 2001 QG207, and(185290) 2006 UB219.[5]The orbits of these bodies are unusual. They orbit in the outermost edge of the asteroid belt in a 4:3orbital resonance withJupiter, the result of the periodic force Jupiter exerts on a body with Thule's orbital period, in the same way (though with the reverse effect) as theKirkwood gaps in the more inner parts of the asteroid belt.
| Name | semimajor axis (au) | period (years) | eccentricity | inclination (°) | absolute magnitude | Size (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 279 Thule | 4.269 | 8.82 | 0.0432 | 2.334 | 8.53 | 126.59±3.7 |
| (185290) 2006 UB219 | 4.290 | 8.89 | 0.1335 | 7.132 | 13.84 | 4.1–10.1 |
| (186024) 2001 QG207 | 4.278 | 8.85 | 0.2513 | 3.238 | 14.53 | 3.0–7.4 |
| (570461) 2006 SJ42 | 4.286 | 8.87 | 0.0465 | 5.501 | 15.1 | 2.3–5.7 |
| (684250) 2008 RE93 | 4.288 | 8.88 | 0.1161 | 3.497 | 15.49 | 1.9–4.7 |
| (654117) 2014 WN504 | 4.297 | 8.91 | 0.2312 | 3.193 | 15.5 | 1.9–4.7 |
| 2014 QX231 | 4.283 | 8.86 | 0.3722 | 5.935 | 16.5 | 1.2–3.0 |
_mathilde.jpg) | This article about an asteroid native to theasteroid belt is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
