.png) Three-dimensional model of 35 Leukothea created based on light-curve | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | R. Luther |
| Discovery date | April 19, 1855 |
| Designations | |
Designation | (35) Leukothea |
| Pronunciation | /ljuːˈkɒθiə/[1] |
Named after | Λευκοθέα Leykothea |
| 1948 DC; 1950 RS1; 1976 WH | |
| Main belt | |
| Adjectives | Leukothean /ljuːˈkɒθiən/ |
| Symbol | .svg){kind=small} (historical) |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5) | |
| Aphelion | 549.374 Gm (3.672 AU) |
| Perihelion | 345.074 Gm (2.307 AU) |
| 447.224 Gm (2.990 AU) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.228 |
| 1,887.983 d (5.17 a) | |
Average orbital speed | 17.00 km/s |
| 77.469° | |
| Inclination | 7.938° |
| 353.817° | |
| 213.962° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 103.1 km |
| Mass | ~7.92×1017 kg (calculated) |
Mean density | 1.38 g/cm3 (assumed)[3] |
| ~0.0545 km/s | |
| 31.900[4] h | |
| Albedo | 0.066[5] |
| Temperature | ~162 K |
Spectral type | C |
| 8.5 | |
Leukothea (minor planet designation: 35 Leukothea) is a large, dark asteroid from the asteroid belt. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Theodor Robert Luther on April 19, 1855,[6] and named after Leukothea, a sea goddess in Greek mythology. Its historical symbol was a pharos (ancient lighthouse); it is in the pipeline for Unicode 17.0 as U+1CED0 (.svg){kind=small}
).[7][8]
Leukothea is a C-type asteroid in the Tholen classification system,[2] suggesting a carbonaceous composition. It is orbiting the Sun with a period of 5.17 years and has a cross-sectional size of 103.1 km.
Photometric observations of this asteroid from the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico during 2010 gave a light curve with a rotation period of 31.900±0.001 hours and a brightness variability of 0.42±0.04 in magnitude. This is consistent with previous studies in 1990 and 2008.[4]
The computed Lyapunov time for this asteroid is 20,000 years, indicating that it occupies a chaotic orbit that will change randomly over time because of gravitational perturbations of the planets.[9]
