| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. J. van Houten I. van Houten-G. T. Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 29 September 1973 |
| Designations | |
| (8318) Averroes | |
| Pronunciation | /əˈvɛroʊiːz/[2] |
Named after | Averroës[1] (medieval Muslim astronomer) |
| 1306 T-2 · 1990 QC7 | |
| main-belt[1][3] · (outer) Themis[4][5] · background[6] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 64.13yr (23,425 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.6928AU |
| Perihelion | 2.6721 AU |
| 3.1824 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1604 |
| 5.68 yr (2,074 d) | |
| 245.92° | |
| 0° 10m 24.96s / day | |
| Inclination | 0.5168° |
| 113.64° | |
| 297.35° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 10.159±0.244 km[7] | |
| 0.075±0.008[7] | |
| C(est.Themis family) | |
| 13.5[1][3] | |
8318 Averroes/əˈvɛroʊiːz/ is a darkThemistian asteroid from the outer regions of theasteroid belt, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 29 September 1973, by Dutch astronomersIngrid andCornelis van Houten at Leiden, andTom Gehrels thePalomar Observatory, and assigned the provisional designation1306 T-2.[1] The likelyC-type asteroid was named after medieval Muslim astronomerAverroës.[1]
Averroes is a core member of theThemis family (602),[4][5] a prominentfamily. Alternatively, a different HCM-analysis by Nesvorny found it to be aBackground asteroid.[6]
It orbits the Sun in theouter asteroid belt at a distance of 2.7–3.7 AU once every 5 years and 8 months (2,074 days;semi-major axis of 3.18 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.16 and aninclination of 1° with respect to theecliptic.[3] The body'sobservation arc begins with aprecovery taken at Palomar in April 1953, more than 20 years prior to its official discovery observation.[1]
Thesurvey designation "T-2" stands for the secondPalomar–Leiden Trojan survey, named after the fruitful collaboration of the Palomar andLeiden Observatory in the 1960s and 1970s. Gehrels used Palomar'sSamuel Oschin telescope (also known as the 48-inch Schmidt Telescope), and shipped thephotographic plates to Ingrid and Cornelis van Houten at Leiden Observatory whereastrometry was carried out. The trio are credited with the discovery ofseveral thousand asteroid discoveries.[8]
While nospectral type has been determined,Averroes is likely a carbonaceousC-type asteroid, based on its membership to the Themis family and the most common type in the outer main-belt.[4] The asteroid has anabsolute magnitude of 13.5.[1][3] As of 2018, no rotationallightcurve ofAverroes has been obtained fromphotometric observations. The body'srotation period,pole and shape remain unknown.[3]
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,Averroes measures 10.159 kilometers in diameter and its surface has analbedo of 0.075.[7]
Thisminor planet was named afterMuhammad ibn Rushd (1126–1198),[1] also known by his Latin name asAverroes, a medieval Muslimpolymath fromAndalusia,[9] whose many scientific accomplishments include a study of astronomy. The name "ibn Rushd" wasLatinized to "Averroes", as his commentaries onAristotle were being translated into Latin, bringing knowledge of that famous philosopher back to Christendom, where it had been nearly forgotten. These kinds ofLatin translations of the 12th century brought classical and Islamic knowledge into Europe, spurring theRenaissance. The official naming citation was published by theMinor Planet Center on 5 October 1998 (M.P.C. 32792).[10]
