196 Philomela is a large and bright
main-belt 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.
...
. It is an
S-type asteroid
S-type asteroids are asteroids with a spectral type that is indicative of a siliceous (i.e. stony) mineralogical composition, hence the name. They have relatively high density. Approximately 17% of asteroids are of this type, making it the second ...
.
It was discovered by
C. H. F. Peters
Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters (September 19, 1813 – July 18, 1890) was a German–American university teacher and astronomer at the Litchfield Observatory of Hamilton College, New York, and a pioneer in the study and visual discovery of ...
on May 14, 1879, in
Clinton, New York and named after
Philomela
Philomela () or Philomel (; grc-gre, , ; ) is a minor figure in Greek mythology who is frequently invoked as a direct and figurative symbol in literary and artistic works in the Western canon.
Family
Philomela was the younger of two daugh ...
, the woman who became a
nightingale in
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
.
In the late 1990s, a network of astronomers worldwide gathered
light curve data that was ultimately used to derive the spin states and shape models of 10 new asteroids, including 196 Philomela. The shape model for this asteroid is described as asymmetrical and smooth, while the light curve varies by up to 0.4 in
magnitude.
[Durech, J.; Kaasalainen, M.; Marciniak, A.; Allen, W. H. et al. "Asteroid brightness and geometry," ''Astronomy and Astrophysics'', Volume 465, Issue 1, April I 2007, pp. 331-337.]
To date there have been two reported Philomelian
stellar
Stellar means anything related to one or more stars (''stella''). The term may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Stellar'' (magazine), an Irish lifestyle and fashion magazine
* Stellar Loussier, a character from ''Mobile Suit Gun ...
occultation
An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden from the observer by another object that passes between them. The term is often used in astronomy, but can also refer to any situation in which an object in the foreground blocks ...
s.
References
External links
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Background asteroids
Philomela
Philomela () or Philomel (; grc-gre, , ; ) is a minor figure in Greek mythology who is frequently invoked as a direct and figurative symbol in literary and artistic works in the Western canon.
Family
Philomela was the younger of two daugh ...
Philomela
Philomela () or Philomel (; grc-gre, , ; ) is a minor figure in Greek mythology who is frequently invoked as a direct and figurative symbol in literary and artistic works in the Western canon.
Family
Philomela was the younger of two daugh ...
S-type asteroids (Tholen)
S-type asteroids (SMASS)
18790514
Objects observed by stellar occultation
{{S-beltasteroid-stub