Discovered by P. P. Henry Alternative names 1959 EG1 Aphelion 3.4377 AU (514.27 Gm) Orbits Sun Named after Via Aemilia Discoverers Paul Henry, Prosper Henry | Discovery date 26 January 1876 Observation arc 112.24 yr (40996 d) Discovered 26 January 1876 Spectral type C-type asteroid Asteroid family Hygiea family | |
Minor planet category Main belt (Hygiea family) Similar 132 Aethra, 127 Johanna, 193 Ambrosia | ||
159 Aemilia is a large main-belt asteroid. Aemilia was discovered by the French brothers Paul Henry and Prosper Henry on January 26, 1876. The credit for this discovery was given to Paul. It is probably named after the Via Aemilia, a Roman road in Italy that runs from Piacenza to Rimini.
This slowly rotating, dark asteroid has a primitive carbonaceous composition, based upon its classification as a C-type asteroid. Photometric observations made in 2006 gave a rotation period of about 25 hours. Subsequent observations made at the Oakley Observatory in Terre Haute, Indiana found a light curve period of 16.37 ± 0.02 hours, with variation in brightness of 0.24 ± 0.04 in magnitude.
It orbits within the Hygiea family, although it may be an unrelated interloping asteroid, as it is too big to have arisen from the cratering process that most probably produced that family. Three stellar occultations by Aemilia have been recorded so far, the first in 2001, the second in 2003[2] and the third in 2016