Discovered by J. Perrotin Minor planet category Main belt Aphelion 3.1722 AU (474.55 Gm) Discovered 29 January 1878 Asteroid group Asteroid belt | Discovery date 29 January 1878 Observation arc 96.73 yr (35331 d) Perihelion 2.2739 AU (340.17 Gm) Orbits Sun Discovery site Toulouse Observatory | |
Discoverer Henri Joseph Anastase Perrotin Similar 188 Menippe, 167 Urda, 162 Laurentia, 149 Medusa, 178 Belisana | ||
180 Garumna is a main belt asteroid that was discovered by the French astronomer Henri Joseph Perrotin on January 29, 1878. Its name comes from the ancient Latin name for the Garonne River in France. In the Tholen classification system, it is categorized as a stony S-type asteroid, while the Bus asteroid taxonomy system lists it with the Sr sub-type.
The rotation period of this asteroid is very nearly synchronized with the rotation of the Earth. This means that only a small portion of the light curve can be observed from any one location, requiring measurements from multiple sites in order to build a complete curve. In 2012, this mission was accomplished, giving a period of 23.866 ± 0.001 hours with a brightness variation of 0.42 ± 0.02 in magnitude. Allowing for a margin of error and changes in phase angle, this finding agrees with previous measurements made in 2008 and 2011.