 Orbital diagram | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. Charlois |
| Discovery site | Nice Obs. |
| Discovery date | 22 March 1892 |
| Designations | |
| (327) Columbia | |
| Pronunciation | /kəˈlʌmbiə/[2] |
Named after | Christopher Columbus (Italian explorer)[3] |
| 1934 JN | |
| main-belt · (middle)[4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 124.62 yr (45,519 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.9496AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6066 AU |
| 2.7781 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0617 |
| 4.63yr (1,691 days) | |
| 255.97° | |
| 0° 12m 46.44s / day | |
| Inclination | 7.1462° |
| 354.82° | |
| 306.18° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 26.13±2.8 km[5] 26.17±0.66 km[6] 26.24 km(derived)[4] 30.291±4.049 km[7] |
| 5.93±0.05h[8] 5.93183±0.00005 h[9] 5.9320±0.0006 h[8] | |
| 0.214±0.339[7] 0.2360±0.061[5] 0.250±0.015[6] 0.2565(derived)[4] | |
| SMASS = Sl[1] · S[4] | |
| 9.88[7] · 10.0[1][4] · 10.10[6] · 10.19±0.01[10] | |
327 Columbia is a stonyasteroid from the middle region of theasteroid belt, approximately 26 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 March 1892, by French astronomerAuguste Charlois atNice Observatory in southeast France.[11] It is named afterChristopher Columbus (1451–1506).[3]
Columbia orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.6–2.9 AU once every 4 years and 8 months (1,691 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.06 and aninclination of 7° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins the night after its official discovery at Nice.[11]
In theSMASS taxonomy,Columbia has been characterized as a Sl-type, an intermediary between the commonS-type and rather rareL-type asteroids.[1]
In May 2003, a rotationallightcurve ofColumbia was obtained by French amateur astronomerRené Roy. It gave arotation period of 5.93 hours with a brightness variation of 0.16magnitude (U=2).[8] In February 2007, photometric observations by his collegePierre Antonini gave a well defined period of 5.9320 hours and an amplitude of 0.42 (U=3).[8]
In 2016, a modeled lightcurve was derived from various photometric database sources, giving a concurring period of 5.93183 hours and aspin axis of (52.0°, 43.0°) inecliptic coordinates.[9]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite, and NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer with its subsequentNEOWISE mission,Columbia measures between 26.13 and 30.29 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has analbedo between 0.214 and 0.250.[5][6][7] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.2565 and a diameter of 26.24 kilometers using anabsolute magnitude of 10.0.[4]
Thisminor planet was named in honor of Italian explorerChristopher Columbus (1451–1506), who reached theNew World during his first voyage in 1492, instead of arriving at Japan as he had intended. The asteroid was named in 1892, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of this historic discovery. Naming citation was first mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 37).[3]
