Discovered by Johann Palisa Observation arc 131.00 yr (47848 d) Discovered 21 April 1874 Discovery site Pola Observatory | Discovery date 21 April 1874 Aphelion 3.7946 AU (567.66 Gm) Orbits Sun Discoverer Johann Palisa Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Alternative names 1958 UE, 1962 GB, A923 FA Minor planet category Main belt, meliboea family Similar 153 Hilda, 128 Nemesis, 142 Polana, 145 Adeona, 135 Hertha | ||
137 Meliboea is a large, dark main-belt asteroid that was discovered by Austrian astronomer J. Palisa on April 21, 1874, the second of his many asteroid discoveries, and named after one of the three Meliboeas in Greek mythology. The largest body in the Meliboea family of asteroids that share similar orbital elements, only 791 Ani approaches its size. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and may be composed of carbonaceous materials.
Photometric observations of this asteroid made at the Torino Observatory in Italy during 1990–1991 were used to determine a synodic rotation period of 15.28 ± 0.02 hours. A 2009 study at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico found a period of 25.676 ± 0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.16 ± 0.02 in magnitude. They ruled out a period of 15 hours determined in previous studies.
During 2002, 137 Meliboea was observed by radar from the Arecibo Observatory. The return signal matched an effective diameter of 144 ± 16 km. This is consistent with the asteroid dimensions computed through other means.