| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | P. Jensen K. Augustesen |
| Discovery site | Brorfelde Obs. |
| Discovery date | 23 April 1985 |
| Designations | |
| (3318) Blixen | |
Named after | Karen Blixen[2] |
| 1985 HB · 1943 GP 1950 RT · 1953 CJ 1962 YF · 1970 KB 1972 XL1 · 1976 QW1 1979 DH | |
| main-belt · Eos[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 74.16 yr (27,087 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1569AU |
| Perihelion | 2.8585 AU |
| 3.0077 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0496 |
| 5.22yr (1,905 days) | |
| 116.45° | |
| 0° 11m 20.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 11.573° |
| 109.09° | |
| 49.585° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 22.658±0.214[4] 23.5 km |
| 6.456±0.003[3] | |
| 0.1275±0.031 0.204±0.023[4] | |
| S[3] | |
| 11.0[1][3] | |
3318 Blixen, provisionally designated1985 HB, is a stony Eoanasteroid from the outer region of theasteroid belt, approximately 23 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Danish astronomersPoul Jensen andKarl Augustesen atBrorfelde Observatory on 23 April 1985.[5]
Blixen is a member of theEos family (606), the largestasteroid family in theouter main belt consisting of nearly 10,000 asteroids. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.9–3.2 AU once every 5 years and 3 months (1,905 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.05 and aninclination of 12° with respect to theecliptic.[1]
Photometric observations of this asteroid collected during 2006 show arotation period of 6.456 ± 0.003 hours with a brightness variation of 0.20 ± 0.02magnitude.[6]
Thisminor planet was named after Danish novelistKaren Blixen (1885–1962), best known for the memoirOut of Africa.[2] The approved naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 18 September 1986 (M.P.C. 11161).[7]
