1036_Ganymed 1036_Ganymed

1036 Ganymed - Definition

1036 Ganymed
Discovery
Discoverer W. Baade
Discovery Date October 23, 1924
Alternate Designations 1924 TD; 1952 BF; 1954 HH
Category Amor,
Mars-crosser asteroid
Orbital Elements
Epoch October 22, 2004 (JD 2453300.5)
Eccentricity (e) 0.537
Semi-Major Axis (a) 398.198 Gm (2.662 AU)
Perihelion (q) 184.434 Gm (1.233 AU)
Aphelion (Q) 611.961 Gm (4.091 AU)
Orbital Period (P) 1586.202 d (4.34 a)
Mean Orbital Speed 16.86 km/s
Inclination (i) 26.644°
Longitude of the
Ascending Node
(Ω)
215.699°
Argument of Perihelion (ω) 132.429°
Mean Anomaly (M) 152.459°
Physical Characteristics
Dimensions 31.7 km
Mass 3.3×1016 kg
Density 2.0 g/cm³
Surface Gravity 0.0089 m/s²
Escape Velocity 0.0168 km/s
Rotation Period 0.4296 d 1 (http://www.psi.edu/pds/archive/lc.html)
Spectral Class S 2 (http://spiff.rit.edu/richmond/parallax/phot/LCSUMPUB.TXT)
Absolute Magnitude 9.45
Albedo 0.292 3 (http://dorothy.as.arizona.edu/DSN/IRAS/index_iras.html)
Mean Surface Temperature ~221 K

1036 Ganymed is the largest Amor asteroid. It was discovered by Walter Baade on October 23, 1924 and is named after Ganymede, the beautiful youth with whom Zeus fell in love.

Ganymed is about 32 km in diameter and is an S-type asteroid, meaning that it is highly reflective and composed of nickel-iron mixed with iron- and magnesium-silicates. It is also a Mars-crosser asteroid.

In 1998, a radar study of Ganymed by the Arecibo radio telescope produced some images of the asteroid's shape. Although not very detailed, the images reveal a roughly spherical object.

One occultation of a star by Ganymed was observed from California on August 22, 1985.

Obviously, not to be confused with Jupiter's moon Ganymede.

Arecibo radar image of Ganymed
Enlarge
Arecibo radar image of Ganymed


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