Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Auguste Charlois |
Discovery date | 1 April 1892 |
Designations | |
(331) Etheridgea | |
Pronunciation | /ˌɛθəˈrɪdʒiə/ |
Named after | Possibly Robert Etheridge |
Main belt | |
Orbital characteristics[1] | |
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 123.95 yr (45,274 d) |
Aphelion | 3.32623 AU (497.597 Gm) |
Perihelion | 2.72055 AU (406.988 Gm) |
3.02339 AU (452.293 Gm) | |
Eccentricity | 0.10016 |
5.26 yr (1,920.2 d) | |
88.5392° | |
0° 11m 14.939s / day | |
Inclination | 6.05385° |
22.0346° | |
333.055° | |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 74.92±2.7 km |
25.315 h (1.0548 d) | |
0.0447±0.003 | |
9.62 | |
Etheridgea (minor planet designation: 331 Etheridgea) is a large main belt asteroid.[1] It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 1 April 1892 in Nice. The meaning of the name is unknown.[2] This asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 3.02 AU with a period of 5.26 years and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.10. The orbital plane is tilted at an angle of 6.05° to the plane of the ecliptic.[1]
Analysis of the asteroid light curve generated from photometric data collected in 2015 provided a rotation period of 25.315±0.001 h. This result is completely different from the previous rotation period estimates.[3] It is a low albedo, carbonaceous C-type asteroid and spans a girth of 74.9±2.7 km.[4]
It may have been named for the geologist and paleontologist Robert Etheridge (1819–1903).[5][6]