| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | S. I. Bailey |
| Discovery site | Boyden Stn.(Arequipa) |
| Discovery date | 30 June 1902 |
| Designations | |
| (504) Cora | |
Named after | Mama Qura, second queen of theKingdom of Cuzco[2] |
| 1902 LK · 1947 OH | |
| main-belt · (middle) | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 110.44 yr (40,337 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.3127AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1296 AU |
| 2.7212 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2174 |
| 4.49yr (1,640 days) | |
| 147.01° | |
| 0° 13m 10.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 12.888° |
| 104.63° | |
| 247.92° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 27.19±1.00 km[3] 29.06 km(derived)[4] 30.02±2.3 km(IRAS:40)[5] 30.39±0.35 km[6] 30.438±0.298[7] 34.994±0.490 km[8] |
| 7.588±0.003h[9] 7.5882±0.0043 h[10] 7.591±0.001 h[11] 7.5915±0.0043[10] 24.06 h(dated)[12] | |
| 0.1908(derived)[4] 0.239±0.032[3][7] 0.2509±0.0553[8] 0.336±0.010[6] 0.3407±0.058(IRAS:40)[5] | |
| SMASS =X[1] · M[8][13] · X[4] | |
| 9.4[5][6][8] · 9.776±0.001(R)[10] · 9.858±0.001(R)[10] · 10.00[3] · 10.07±0.35[14] · 10.1[1][4] | |
504 Cora, provisional designation1902 LK, is a metallicasteroid from the middle region of theasteroid belt, approximately 30 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomerSolon Bailey atHarvard'sBoyden Station in Arequipa, Peru, on 30 June 1902.[15] It was later named after Cora, a figure inInca mythology.[2]
Cora orbits the Sun in themiddle main-belt at a distance of 2.1–3.3 AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,640 days). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.22 and aninclination of 13° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins 4 years after its discovery with the first used observation made atHeidelberg in 1906.[15]
On the Tholen taxonomic scheme, as well as by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE),Cora is classified as a metallicM-type asteroid.[8][13]
Mineralogic observations in the near-infrared with theNASA IRTF telescope using itsSpeX spectrograph, showed that its surface is that of anX-type asteroid, with absorption features indicating the presence ofpyroxene minerals.[13] In 2004, the body's spectrum was also obtained in the SMASSII survey at the U.S.MDM Observatory, Kitt Peak, Arizona.[16]
Several rotationallightcurves ofCora were obtained for this asteroid by astronomersMaria A. Barucci,David Higgins,Axel Martin, and thePalomar Transient Factory. With one exception,[12] they all gave arotation period close to 7.59 hours.[11][10] Among these, David Higgins' observation made in September 2010, at the Hunters Hill Observatory (E14) in Ngunnawal, Australia – gave the best rated lightcurve with a period of7.588±0.003 hours and a brightness variation of 0.20magnitude (U=3-).[9]
According to the space-based surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite, and NASA's WISE telescope with its subsequent NEOWISE mission,Cora's surface has a highalbedo between 0.239 and 0.341. Combined with their respective absolute magnitudes, this results in a diameter estimate of 27.2 to 35.0 kilometers.[3][5][6][7][8] In contrast, theCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives a much lower albedo of 0.19 and a diameter of 29.1 kilometers, based on anabsolute magnitude of 10.1.[4]
Thisminor planet was named after Cora, a figure inInca mythology (AN 169).[2][17]
