Discovered by R. Luther Alternative names 1935 KK; 1954 WD1 Aphelion 431.898 Gm (2.887 AU) Orbits Sun Discoverer Robert Luther | Discovery date May 5, 1853 Minor planet category Main belt Discovered 5 May 1853 Spectral type S-type asteroid Named after Proserpina | |
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Pronunciation /proʊˈsɜːrpᵻnə/ proh-SUR-pi-nə Discovery site Düsseldorf-Bilk Observatory Similar Robert Luther discoveries, Other celestial objects | ||
Minor planet 26 proserpina 2013 03 14
26 Proserpina is a main-belt asteroid discovered by R. Luther on May 5, 1853. It is named after the Roman goddess Proserpina, the daughter of Ceres and the Queen of the Underworld.
Photometric observations of this asteroid have produced discrepant estimates of the rotation period. A period of 12.13 hours was reported in 1979, followed by 10.6 hours in 1981 and 6.67 hours in 2001. Observations made in 2007 at the Oakley Observatory in Terre Haute, Indiana produced a light curve with a period of 13.06 ± 0.03 hours and a brightness variation of 0.21 ± 0.01 in magnitude. This was refined by a 2008 study, giving a period of 13.110 ± 0.001 hours.
References
26 Proserpina Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA