| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | A. Kopff |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 4 March 1907 |
| Designations | |
| (627) Charis | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkeɪrɪs/ |
Named after | Charis(Greek mythology)[2] |
| 1907 XS · 1929 RJ1 1929 RN1 · 1932 CZ 1947 GK · 1966 DR A917 DE | |
| main-belt · (outer)[3] Charis[4] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 110.65 yr (40,415 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.0675AU |
| Perihelion | 2.7320 AU |
| 2.8998 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0578 |
| 4.94yr (1,804 days) | |
| 318.92° | |
| 0° 11m 58.56s / day | |
| Inclination | 6.4732° |
| 142.48° | |
| 176.72° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 38.018±0.146 km[5] 44.745±0.140 km[6] 48.51±2.6 km[3][7] 49.47±0.51 km[8] 62.68±0.41 km[9] |
| >24h(dated)[10] 27.888±0.002 h[11] | |
| 0.047±0.007[9] 0.0786±0.009[3][7] 0.080±0.002[8] 0.0925±0.0225[6] | |
| Tholen =XB:[1] SMASS =X[1][3] · P[6] B–V = 0.680[1] U–B = 0.261[1] | |
| 9.44±0.85[12] · 9.95[1][3][6][7][8][9] | |
627 Charis/ˈkeɪrɪs/ is anasteroid and the parent body of theCharis family, located in the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 49 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 4 March 1907, by German astronomerAugust Kopff at theHeidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany.[13] The asteroid was named after the Greek goddessCharis,[2] a name which may have been inspired by the asteroid's provisional designation1907 XS. ('Charis' is in Greek is spelled 'Χάρις'.)
Charis is theparent body of theCharis family (616),[4] anasteroid family of more than 800 known members.[14]: 23 It orbits the Sun in theouter main-belt at a distance of 2.7–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 11 months (1,804 days;semi-major axis of 2.90 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.06 and aninclination of 6° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation at Heidelberg in March 1907.[13]
The overallspectral type for members of the Charis family is that of aC- andX-type.[14]: 23 In theSMASS classificationCharis is an X-type asteroid,[1][3] while in theTholen classification, its type is ambiguous, closest to an X- and somewhat similar to a carbonaceousB-type asteroid including a reported noisy spectrum (XB:).[1] Conversely, theWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) characterized it as a primitiveP-type asteroid.[6]
Photometric observations of this asteroid by American astronomerFrederick Pilcher at the Organ Mesa Observatory (G50) in Las Cruces, New Mexico, during May 2012 gave a well-definedlightcurve with arotation period of 27.888 hours and a brightness variation of 0.35 inmagnitude (U=3).[11] The result supersedes a tentative period of at least 24 hours obtained by French amateur astronomerPierre Antonini in March 2011 (U=2-).[10]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA's WISE telescope,Charis measures between 38.018 and 62.68 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.047 and 0.0925.[5][6][7][8][9]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.0786 and a diameter of 48.51 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 9.95.[3][7]
Thisminor planet was named fromGreek mythology, after the goddessCharis, the wife ofHephaestus after whom the minor planet2212 Hephaistos was also named. The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 65).[2]
