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1036 Ganymed

1036 Ganymed
AnimatedOrbitOf1036Ganymed.gif
Orbit of 1036 Ganymed (blue), planets (red) and the Sun (black). The outermost planet visible is Jupiter.
Discovery
Discovered by W. Baade
Discovery date 23 October 1924
Designations
Pronunciation /ˈɡænmɛd/
Named after
Ganymede
1924 TD; 1952 BF; 1954 HH
Amor III asteroid,
Mars-crosser asteroid
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 91.09 yr (33272 days)
Aphelion 4.0847 AU (611.06 Gm)
Perihelion 1.2412 AU (185.68 Gm)
2.6629 AU (398.36 Gm)
Eccentricity 0.53391
4.35 yr (1587.2 d)
Average orbital speed
16.86 km/s
47.1847°
0° 13m 36.516s / day
Inclination 26.693°
215.556°
132.471°
Earth MOID 0.340522 AU (50.9414 Gm)
Mars MOID 0.03404 AU (5.092 Gm)
Jupiter MOID 1.94608 AU (291.129 Gm)
Jupiter Tisserand parameter 3.035
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 34.28 ± 1.38 km 
31.66 km 
Mean radius
15.83±1.4 km
10.297 h (0.4290 d) 
0.17,0.2926±0.059
Temperature ~160 K
S (VI)
8.1 
9.45

1036 Ganymed is the largest near-Earth asteroid, at about 32–34 km in diameter. It was discovered by Walter Baade on October 23, 1924. It has a very well determined orbit, and its next pass of the Earth will be at a distance of 0.374097 AU (55,964,100 km; 34,774,500 mi) on 13 October 2024. It is an Amor asteroid, and also a Mars-crosser asteroid, and will pass 0.02868 AU (4,290,000 km; 2,666,000 mi) from Mars on 16 December 2176.

Ganymed is the German spelling of Ganymede, the Trojan prince turned god whom Zeus designated the cupbearer to the Greek gods. Jupiter's moon Ganymede is named after the same, but uses the English spelling.

Owing to its early discovery date, Ganymed has a rich observational history. A 1931 paper published the absolute magnitude, based on observations to date, as 9.24, slightly brighter than the present value of 9.45. Ganymed is an S-type asteroid, meaning that it is relatively reflective and composed of iron and magnesium silicates. Spectral measurements put Ganymed in the S (VI) spectral subtype, indicating a surface rich in orthopyroxenes, and possibly metals (although if metals are present they are covered and not readily apparent in the spectra).

In 1998, radar observations of Ganymed by the Arecibo radio telescope produced images of the asteroid, revealing a roughly spherical object. Also around this time a study of several asteroids' visual lightcurves (variation of light intensity over time) and polarization curves was conducted (the data for Ganymed is limited due to poor weather at the time). The study concluded that there was a weak correlation between the lightcurve and polarimetry curve as a function of rotation angle. Because polarization is dependent on surface terrain and composition, rather than the observed size of the object like the lightcurve, this suggests that the surface features of the asteroid are roughly uniform over its observed surface.


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