61 Danaë
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61 Danaë (Template:IPAc-en) is a stony (S-type) asteroid in the outer asteroid belt's background population, approximately 84 kilometer in diameter. It was discovered by French astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt on 9 September 1860, from his balcony in Paris, France.<ref name="MPC-object" /> Goldschmidt was ill when asked to name the asteroid, and requested his fellow asteroid-hunter Robert Luther to name it instead. Luther chose to name it after Danaë, the mother of Perseus in Greek mythology.<ref name="springer" /> Danaë was the first asteroid to have a diacritical character in its official name.
The asteroid is orbiting the Sun with a period of 5.15 years and is rotating on its axis once every 11.45 hours. In 1985, a study of lightcurve data suggested that Danaë may have a moon. If so, the main body would be an ellipsoid measuring Template:Convert, and the moon would orbit Template:Convert away, measuring Template:Convert. The density of both would be Template:Val.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
References
- Alberto Cellino, Renato Pannunzio, Vincenzo Zappalà, Paolo Farinella, and Paolo Paolicchi, 1985, Do we observe light curves of binary asteroids?, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 144, No. 2, pp. 355–362.
External links
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Template:Webarchive)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
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- Template:JPL small body
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