23 Thalia

Thalia[5] (minor planet designation: 23 Thalia) is a large main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by J. R. Hind on December 15, 1852, at the private observatory of W. Bishop, located in Hyde Park, London, England.[6] Bishop named it after Thalia, the Muse of comedy and pastoral poetry in Greek mythology.[7]

23 Thalia
A three-dimensional model of 23 Thalia based on its light curve.
Discovery
Discovered byJ. R. Hind
Discovery dateDecember 15, 1852
Designations
(23) Thalia
Pronunciation/θəˈlaɪ.ə/[1]
Named after
Thalia
1938 CL; 1974 QT2
Main belt
Orbital characteristics
Epoch June 14, 2006 (JD 2453900.5)
Aphelion484.663 Gm (3.240 AU)
Perihelion301.483 Gm (2.015 AU)
393.073 Gm (2.628 AU)
Eccentricity0.233
1555.679 d (4.26 a)
328.687°
Inclination10.145°
67.228°
59.311°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions107.5 ± 2.2 km (IRAS)[2]
106.81 ± 3.23 km[3]
Mass(1.96 ± 0.09) × 1018 kg[3]
Mean density
3.07 ± 0.31 g/cm3[3]
12.312 h[2]
0.2536 (geometric)[4]
S [2]
9.11 to 13.19
6.95[2]

    It is categorized as an S-type asteroid consisting of mainly of iron- and magnesium-silicates. This the second most common type of asteroid in the main belt. Based on analysis of the light curve, the object has a sidereal rotation period of 0.513202 ± 0.000002 days. An ellipsoidal model of the light curve gives an a/b ratio of 1.28 ± 0.05.[8]

    With a semimajor axis of 2.628, the asteroid is orbiting between the 3:1 and 5:2 Kirkwood gaps in the main belt.[9] Its orbital eccentricity is larger than the median value of 0.07 for the main belt, and the inclination is larger than the median of below 4°. But most of the main-belt asteroids have an eccentricity of no more than 0.4 and an inclination of up to 30°, so the orbit of 23 Thalia is not unusual for a main-belt asteroid.[10]

    Thalia has been studied by radar.[11]

    References
    1. Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
    2. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 23 Thalia". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 30 April 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
    3. Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, vol. 73, pp. 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009. See Table 1.
    4. "Albedos Data Table". Planetary Science Institute. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2008.
    5. Stressed on the second syllable, /θəˈlaɪ.ə/.
    6. Lardner, Dionysius (1858). Hand-books of natural philosophy and astronomy. Vol. 3. Philadelphia: Blanchard and Lea. p. 315. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
    7. Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). Dictionary of minor planet names (5th ed.). Springer. p. 17. ISBN 3-540-00238-3.
    8. Lagerkvist, C.-I.; et al. (October 1995). "Physical studies of asteroids. XXIX. Photometry and analysis of 27 asteroids". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement. 113: 115–122. Bibcode:1995A&AS..113..115L.
    9. Yeomans, Donald K. "Asteroid Main-Belt Distribution". NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratoty. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
    10. Williams, Gareth (3 April 2007). "Distribution of the Minor Planets". Minor Planets Center. Archived from the original on 21 March 2007. Retrieved 15 April 2007.
    11. "Radar-Detected Asteroids and Comets". NASA/JPL Asteroid Radar Research. Retrieved 30 October 2011.

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