Discovery date 19 April 1991 Alternative names 1991 HN · 1998 XC56 Absolute magnitude 11.1 Discovery site Palomar Observatory | MPC designation 13062 Podarkes Discovered 19 April 1991 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Jupiter trojan | |
Discovered by C. Shoemaker
E. Shoemaker Named after Podarkes
(Greek mythology) Minor planet category Jupiter trojan
(Greek camp) Discoverers Carolyn S. Shoemaker, Eugene Merle Shoemaker Similar Sun, 3554 Amun, Comet Shoemak, 129P/Shoemaker–Levy, 118P/Shoemaker–Levy | ||
13062 Podarkes, provisional designation 1991 HN, is a Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 29 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer couple Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at the U.S. Palomar Observatory, California, on 19 April 1991.
The orbit of this Trojan asteroid is unstable. It is orbiting in the leading Greek camp at Jupiter's L4 Lagrangian point, 60° ahead of its orbit (see Trojans in astronomy). It orbits the Sun at a distance of 5.1–5.2 AU once every 11 years and 9 months (4,280 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.01 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic. The first used precoveries were taken at Steward Observatory (Kitt Peak–Spacewatch), extending the asteroid's observation arc by just two weeks prior to its discovery.
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's space-based Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Podarkes measures 29.0 kilometers in diameter, and its surface has an albedo of 0.084, while a generic diameter estimate, based on an absolute magnitude of 11.1 and an albedo at 0.05 gives a larger diameter of approximately 40 kilometers. As of 2016, the asteroid's composition, rotation period and shape remain unknown.
The minor planet is named from Greek mythology after the Greek warrior Podarkes, who took 40 ships to the Trojan War. He is the son of Ares and brother of Protesilaos, after whom the Jupiter trojan, 3540 Protesilaos, is named. Protesilaos was the first Greek to set foot on the shores of Troy and to die in the war. Naming citation was published on 13 October 2000 (M.P.C. 41386).