Discovered by C. H. F. Peters, 1879 Minor planet category Main belt Aphelion 3.1723 AU (474.57 Gm) Orbital period 2,004 days Rotation period 8.3 hours Spectral type S-type asteroid | Discovery date 14 May 1879 Observation arc 136.91 yr (50005 d) Perihelion 3.0630 AU (458.22 Gm) Discovered 14 May 1879 Orbits Sun | |
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Discoverer Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters discoveries 188 Menippe, 167 Urda, 165 Loreley | ||
196 Philomela is a large and bright main-belt asteroid. It is an S-type asteroid.
It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on May 14, 1879, in Clinton, New York and named after Philomela, the woman who became a nightingale in Greek mythology.
In the late 1990s, a network of astronomers worldwide gathered light curve data that was ultimately used to derive the spin states and shape models of 10 new asteroids, including (196) Philomela. The shape model for this asteroid is described as asymmetrical and smooth, while the light curve varies by up to 0.4 in magnitude.
To date there have been two reported Philomelian stellar occultations.
References
196 Philomela Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA