5254 Ulysses
Discovery [1] | |
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Discovered by | E. W. Elst |
Discovery site | Haute-Provence Obs. |
Discovery date | 7 November 1986 |
Designations | |
MPC designation | (5254) Ulysses |
Named after |
Ulysses (latinized name of Odysseus)[2] |
1986 VG1 · 1990 FN | |
Jupiter trojan [1][3][4] Greek [5][6] · background [6] | |
Orbital characteristics [3] | |
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 31.53 yr (11,518 d) |
Aphelion | 5.8681 AU |
Perihelion | 4.6052 AU |
5.2366 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.1206 |
11.98 yr (4,377 d) | |
221.78° | |
0° 4m 55.92s / day | |
Inclination | 24.195° |
76.038° | |
343.01° | |
Jupiter MOID | 0.4529 AU |
TJupiter | 2.8100 |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter |
±0.40 km 76.15[7] km 77.93(derived)[4] ±4.4 78.34[8] ±2.59 km 80.00[9] km 82[10] |
±0.08 h 28.72[10] ±0.0376 h 28.784[11] | |
±0.004 0.058[9] 0.0608(derived)[4] ±0.006 0.070[7] ±0.011 0.0869[8] | |
C (assumed)[4] V–I = ±0.042 0.970[4] | |
8.80[8] ±1.00 9.07[12] 9.1[7] ±0.002 9.164(R)[11] 9.20[1][4][9] | |
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5254 Ulysses, provisional designation 1986 VG1, is a large Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 78 kilometers (48 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 7 November 1986, by Belgian astronomer Eric Elst at the Haute-Provence Observatory in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire near Marseille, southeastern France.[1] The assumed C-type asteroid belongs to the 40 largest Jupiter trojans and has a longer-than-average rotation period of 28.72 hours. It was later named after "Ulysses", the Latinized name of the legendary hero from Greek mythology, Odysseus.[2]
Orbit and classification
Ulysses is a dark Jovian asteroid orbiting in the leading Greek camp at Jupiter's L4 Lagrangian point, 60° ahead of the Gas Giant's orbit in a 1:1 resonance (see Trojans in astronomy). It is also a non-family asteroid in the Jovian background population.[6][13]
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.6–5.9 AU once every 11 years and 12 months (4,377 days; semi-major axis of 5.24 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.12 and an inclination of 24° with respect to the ecliptic.[3] The asteroid's observation arc begins with its discovery observation in November 1986.[1]
Physical characteristics
Ulysses is an assumed, carbonaceous C-type asteroid. Its V–I color index of 0.97 is typical for most D-type Jupiter trojans.[4]
Photometry
In September 1994, photometric observations of Ulysses were made by astronomers Stefano Mottola and Uri Carsenty at ESO's La Silla Observatory, Chile, using the Bochum 0.61-metre Telescope. The observations were used to build a lightcurve showing a well-defined rotation period of 28.72 hours with a brightness variation of 0.32 magnitude (U=3).[10] In March 2014, another rotational lightcurve was obtained in the R-band by astronomers at the Palomar Transient Factory, California, which gave a concurring period of 28.7840 hours with an amplitude of 0.33 magnitude (U=2).[4][11] While not being a slow rotator, Ulysses' period longer than the 2 to 20 hours measured for most asteroids.
Diameter and albedo
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS), the Japanese Akari satellite, and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Ulysses measures between 76.15 and 80.00 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.058 and 0.087.[7][8][9] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link derives an albedo of 0.0608 and a diameter of 77.93 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 9.2.[4]
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Naming
This minor planet is named after Ulysses, the Latinized name of Odysseus, who is the hero in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the two major ancient Greek epic poems. In the Trojan War, he killed the Trojan Diomedes, restored the command of King Agamemnon and rallied the tired Greeks. Odysseus also thought of building the great wooden Trojan Horse.
After the war, he went on a nine-year long adventurous journey and met the young and pretty Nausicaa, as narrated in the Odyssey. The famous novel Ulysses by Irish poet James Joyce is also titled after Odysseus' Latinized name. For reference, also see the minor planets 1143 Odysseus, 5700 Homerus, 911 Agamemnon, 1437 Diomedes, 192 Nausikaa and 5418 Joyce.[2] The approved naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 10 November 1992 (M.P.C. 21134).[14]
In popular culture
- In Ace Combat Infinity, the asteroid is known as Ulysses 1986VG1 and it's portrayed as Jupiter's moon rather than a Trojan. Its collision with another, previously undiscovered asteroid named Polyphemus has resulted in a swarm of meteoroids that have caused a catastrophic impact event on the Earth.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "5254 Ulysses (1986 VG1)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 Schmadel, Lutz D. (2007). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (5254) Ulysses. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 451. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5254 Ulysses (1986 VG1)" (2018-05-21 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "LCDB Data for (5254) Ulysses". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ↑ "List of Jupiter Trojans". Minor Planet Center. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 "Asteroid (5254) Ulysses – Proper elements". AstDyS-2, Asteroids – Dynamic Site. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 Grav, T.; Mainzer, A. K.; Bauer, J. M.; Masiero, J. R.; Nugent, C. R. (November 2012). "WISE/NEOWISE Observations of the Jovian Trojan Population: Taxonomy" (PDF). The Astrophysical Journal. 759 (1): 10. arXiv:1209.1549. Bibcode:2012ApJ...759...49G. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/759/1/49. Retrieved 9 June 2018. (online catalog)
- 1 2 3 4 Tedesco, E. F.; Noah, P. V.; Noah, M.; Price, S. D. (October 2004). "IRAS Minor Planet Survey V6.0". NASA Planetary Data System – IRAS-A-FPA-3-RDR-IMPS-V6.0. Bibcode:2004PDSS...12.....T. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. Retrieved 15 June 2018. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
- 1 2 3 Mottola, Stefano; Di Martino, Mario; Erikson, Anders; Gonano-Beurer, Maria; Carbognani, Albino; Carsenty, Uri; et al. (May 2011). "Rotational Properties of Jupiter Trojans. I. Light Curves of 80 Objects". The Astronomical Journal. 141 (5): 32. Bibcode:2011AJ....141..170M. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/141/5/170. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- 1 2 3 Waszczak, Adam; Chang, Chan-Kao; Ofek, Eran O.; Laher, Russ; Masci, Frank; Levitan, David; et al. (September 2015). "Asteroid Light Curves from the Palomar Transient Factory Survey: Rotation Periods and Phase Functions from Sparse Photometry" (PDF). The Astronomical Journal. 150 (3): 35. arXiv:1504.04041. Bibcode:2015AJ....150...75W. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/150/3/75. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ↑ Veres, Peter; Jedicke, Robert; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Denneau, Larry; Granvik, Mikael; Bolin, Bryce; et al. (November 2015). "Absolute magnitudes and slope parameters for 250,000 asteroids observed by Pan-STARRS PS1 – Preliminary results" (PDF). Icarus. 261: 34–47. arXiv:1506.00762. Bibcode:2015Icar..261...34V. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.08.007. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ↑ "Asteroid 5254 Ulysses". Small Bodies Data Ferret. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
- ↑ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
External links
Look up Ulysses in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (5001)-(10000) – Minor Planet Center
- 5254 Ulysses at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 5254 Ulysses at the JPL Small-Body Database