156 Xanthippe is a dark background
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
from the central regions of the
asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 22 November 1875, by Austrian astronomer
Johann Palisa
Johann Palisa (6 December 1848 – 2 May 1925) was an Austrian astronomer, born in Troppau, Austrian Silesia, now Czech Republic. He was a prolific discoverer of asteroids, discovering 122 in all, from 136 Austria in 1874 to 1073 Gel ...
at the
Austrian Naval Observatory
This is a list of observatory codes (IAU codes or MPC codes) published by the Minor Planet Center. For a detailed description, ''see observations of small Solar System bodies
Observations of minor planets as well as comets and natural satellites ...
, in what is now Croatia.
It is named after
Xanthippe, the wife of the Greek philosopher
Socrates.
Orbit and classification
''Xanthippe'' is a non-
family asteroid from the main belt's
background population.
It orbits the Sun in the
central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
main-belt at a distance of 2.1–3.3
AU once every 4 years and 6 months (1,645 days;
semi-major axis
In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the long ...
of 2.73 AU). Its orbit has an
eccentricity of 0.23 and an
inclination of 10
° with respect to the
ecliptic.
Physical characteristics
Photometric observations of this asteroid at the
European Southern Observatory
The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 mem ...
in La Silla,
Chile during 1981 gave a
light curve with a period of 22.5 hours.
Based upon its spectrum this is classified as a hydrated
C-type asteroid (Ch-subtype) in the
SMASS classification
An asteroid spectral type is assigned to asteroids based on their emission spectrum, color, and sometimes albedo. These types are thought to correspond to an asteroid's surface composition. For small bodies that are not internally differentiat ...
, indicating that it likely has a
carbonaceous composition.
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite
IRAS, the Japanese
Akari satellite and the
NEOWISE mission of NASA's
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, ''Xanthippe'' measures between 110.409 and 143.35 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an
albedo between 0.030 and 0.0687.
Naming
This
minor planet was named for
Xanthippe, the wife of the Greek philosopher
Socrates (c. 470–399 BC), after whom asteroid
5450 Sokrates was named. The official naming citation was mentioned in ''
The Names of the Minor Planets'' by
Paul Herget in 1955 ().
References
External links
Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB) query form
)
Dictionary of Minor Planet Names Google books
– Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
– Minor Planet Center
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Xanthippe
000156
Discoveries by Johann Palisa
Named minor planets
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