.png) Lightcurve-based 3D-model ofMaja | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | H. P. Tuttle |
| Discovery site | Harvard College Obs. |
| Discovery date | 9 April 1861 |
| Designations | |
| (66) Maja | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmeɪ.ə/[2] |
Named after | Maia(Greek mythology)[3] |
| 1947 FO · 1974 KR 1992 OX10 · A902 UF A906 QD | |
| main-belt · (middle)[4] background[5] | |
| Adjectives | Majan |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 156.54 yr (57,178 days) |
| Aphelion | 3.1021AU |
| Perihelion | 2.1884 AU |
| 2.6453 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1727 |
| 4.30yr (1,571 days) | |
| 241.56° | |
| 0° 13m 44.76s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.0461° |
| 7.5071° | |
| 44.071° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 62.87±15.72 km[6] 62.901±19.42 km[7] 71.79±0.92 km[8] 71.82±5.3 km[9] 74.30±21.31 km[10] 82.28±2.11 km[11] | |
| Mass | ~1.8×1017 kg (calculated)[6] |
Meandensity | 1.38 g/cm3 (assumed)[12] |
| 9.733h[13][14] 9.73509±0.00005 h[15] 9.73570±0.00005 h[16] 9.736±0.009 h[17] 9.74±0.05 h[15] 9.761±0.03 h[18] | |
| 0.03±0.01[11] 0.037±0.052[10] 0.05±0.02[6] 0.0618±0.010[9] 0.062±0.002[8] 0.0759±0.0615[7] | |
| Tholen =C[1] · C[4] SMASS =Ch[1] B–V = 0.697[1] U–B = 0.360[1] V–R =0.374±0.010[19] | |
| 9.18[7] · 9.18±0.35[20] · 9.36[1][4][6][8][9] · 9.44±0.09[19] · 9.48[11] · 9.84[10] | |
66 Maja (/ˈmeɪə/) is a carbonaceous backgroundasteroid from the central regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 71 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 9 April 1861, by American astronomerHorace Tuttle at theHarvard College Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States.[21] The asteroid was named afterMaia from Greek mythology.[3]
Maja is a non-family asteroid from the main belt'sbackground population.[5] It orbits the Sun in thecentral asteroid belt at a distance of 2.2–3.1 AU once every 4 years and 4 months (1,571 days;semi-major axis of 2.65 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.17 and aninclination of 3° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins at the Harvard Observatory, one night after its official discovery observation.[21]
In theTholen classification,Maja is a carbonaceousC-type asteroid,[1] while in theSMASS classification it is a "hydrated" carbonaceous subtype (Ch).[1]
Several rotationallightcurves ofMaja have been obtained from photometric observations since 1988.[13][14][15][17][18] Analysis of the best-rated lightcurve by French amateur astronomers Maurice Audejean and Jérôme Caron from February 2011 gave arotation period of 9.73509 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.25magnitude (U=3).[4][15]
In 2016, a modeled lightcurve was derived from various photometric database sources, giving a concurring sidereal period of 9.73570 hours and twospin axes of (49.0°, −70.0°) and (225.0°, −68.0°) inecliptic coordinates.[16]
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical SatelliteIRAS, the JapaneseAkari satellite and theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Maja measures between 62.87 and 82.28 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo between 0.03 and 0.0759.[6][7][8][9][10][11]
TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.0618 and a diameter of 71.82 kilometers based on anabsolute magnitude of 9.36.[4][9]
Thisminor planet was named byHarvard's former president, J. Quincy, afterMaia, one of theSeven Sisters of thePleiades inGreek mythology. She is the mother ofHermes (Mercury) and the daughter ofAtlas andPleione. The official naming citation was mentioned inThe Names of the Minor Planets byPaul Herget in 1955 (H 10).[3]
The asteroids130 Elektra,233 Asterope and1051 Merope were also named after the mythological Seven Sisters. In 1861, the director of the discovering observatory,George Phillips Bond, raised a minor concern since these names had already been applied to some of the brightest stars of thePleiades in the constellation of Taurus:Maia,Electra,Asterope andMerope.[3]
At present,Maja has not been visited by any spacecraft. As of 1988, mission planning for theCassini–Huygens spacecraft included aflyby ofMaja while leaving the inner solar system in March 1997, however due to delays, the launch of Cassini-Huygens was moved from April 1996 to October 1997, thus negating the option to pass nearMaja. Cassini-Huygens passed by asteroid2685 Masursky on 23 January 2000 instead.[22]
