Discovered by J. Coggia Alternative names 1899 EL Observation arc 116.54 yr (42568 d) Orbits Sun Discoverer Jérôme Eugène Coggia Discovery site Marseille Observatory | Discovery date 31 March 1899 Minor planet category Main belt Discovered 31 March 1899 Named after Gyptis | |
Aphelion 3.25674 AU (487.201 Gm) Similar 165 Loreley, 56 Melete, 51 Nemausa, 354 Eleonora, 423 Diotima | ||
444 Gyptis is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered by J. Coggia on March 31, 1899, in Marseilles. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of carbonaceous material.
In 2004, Kochetova estimated Gyptis to have a mass of 1.25×1019 kg with a high density of 5.53 g/cm³. The adaptive optics instrument at the W. M. Keck Observatory showed an object with a diameter of 129 km, which is much smaller than the estimate of 160 km from the IRAS observatory measurements, indicating an irregular shape. The size ratio between the major and minor axes is estimated at 1.40. Observations of an occultation on October 14, 2007, produced six chords indicating a cross-section ellipsoid of 179×150 km.
References
444 Gyptis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA