Astronomy:68 Leto

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Short description: Main-belt asteroid
68 Leto
68Leto (Lightcurve Inversion).png
A three-dimensional model of 68 Leto based on its light curve.
Discovery
Discovered byKarl Theodor Robert Luther
Discovery date29 April 1861
Designations
(68) Leto
Pronunciation/ˈlɛt/[1]
Named afterΛητώ Lētō
Minor planet categoryMain belt
AdjectivesLetoian /lˈt.iən/[2][3]
Orbital characteristics[4]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc152.08 yr (55548 d)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}3.30153 astronomical unit|AU (493.902 Gm)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.26072 AU (338.199 Gm)
2.78112 AU (416.050 Gm)
Eccentricity0.18712
Orbital period4.64 yr (1,694.1 d)
Mean anomaly48.7204°
Mean motion0° 12m 45.025s / day
Inclination7.97189°
Longitude of ascending node44.1270°
304.826°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions122.57±5.3 km[4]
124.96±6.42 km[5]
Mass(3.28±1.90)×1018 kg[5]
Mean density3.21±1.92 g/cm3[5]
Rotation period14.848 h (0.6187 d)
Geometric albedo0.2283±0.021[4]
0.228[6]
S
Apparent magnitude9.56 (brightest)
Absolute magnitude (H)6.78


Leto (minor planet designation: 68 Leto) is a large main belt asteroid that is orbiting the Sun. The asteroid was discovered by German astronomer Robert Luther on April 29, 1861, and is named after Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis in Greek mythology. It is orbiting at a distance of 2.78112 astronomical unit|AU with a period of 4.64 years and an orbital eccentricity of 0.187. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 7.97° to the ecliptic.[4]

Photometric observations of 68 Leto during 1997 provided a rotation period of 14.856 ± 0.024 h.[7] It has an estimated cross-sectional size of 123 km. The spectral type is S, suggesting a stony, silicate composition.

References

  1. "Leto". Leto. Oxford University Press. http://www.lexico.com/definition/Leto. 
  2. E. Alan Roberts (2013) The Courage of Innocence: (The Virgin of Phileros), p. 191
  3. Greek Λητῷος – Lētōi-os. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "68 Leto". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=68;cad=1. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science 73 (1): 98–118, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009, Bibcode2012P&SS...73...98C.  See Table 1.
  6. "Asteroid Data Sets". http://www.psi.edu/pds/resource/albedo.html. 
  7. López-González, M. J.; Rodríguez, E. (September 2005), "Lightcurves and poles of seven asteroids", Planetary and Space Science 53 (11): 1147–1165, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2005.04.010, Bibcode2005P&SS...53.1147L 

External links