4486 Mithra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Discovery
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| Discovered by | Eric Elst, Vladimir Shkodrov |
| Discovery date | September 22, 1987 |
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Designations
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| Alternate name | 1987 SB |
| Minor planet category |
Apollo, Mars crosser |
| Epoch December 1, 2005 (JD 2453705.5 ) | |
| Aphelion | 547.47 Gm (3.66 AU) |
| Perihelion | 111.84 Gm (0.75 AU) |
| Semi-major axis | 329.66 Gm 2.20 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.66 |
| Orbital period | 1194.84 d (3.27 a) |
| Average orbital speed | 17.65 km/s |
| Mean anomaly | 245.56° |
| Inclination | 3.03° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 82.32° |
| Argument of perihelion | 168.79° |
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Physical characteristics
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| Dimensions | 2-5 km |
| Rotation period | 100 h |
| Spectral type | S |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 15.6 |
4486 Mithra is an Apollo and Mars-crosser asteroid. It was discovered by Eric Elst and Vladimir Shkodrov on September 22, 1987. It is named after Mithra, Indo-Iranian god of light. In Asia Minor around 330 B.C. the god Mithra was identified with the Greek god Apollo, hence the name.
The asteroid measures 2-5 km in diameter. Its shape has been analyzed by radar, and has been revealed as bizarre: it is the most highly bifurcated object in the solar system, with two distinct lobes.
[edit] References
- Catchall Catalog of Minor Planets
- NeoDys
- NASA JPL Small-Body Database Browser on 4486 Mithra
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