Discovered by M. Wolf MPC designation 861 Aida Minor planet category main-belt · (outer) Absolute magnitude 9.7 | Discovery date 22 January 1917 Discovered 22 January 1917 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | |
Alternative names 1917 BE · 1939 BL1947 OF · 1950 BW1A906 BG · A918 GA Discovery site Landessternwarte Heidelberg-Königstuhl Similar 528 Rezia, 540 Rosamunde, 509 Iolanda, 889 Erynia, 908 Buda | ||
861 Aïda, provisional designation 1917 BE, is a carbonaceous asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, about 67 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 22 January 1917, by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany.
The dark C-type asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.8–3.5 AU once every 5 years and 7 months (2,032 days). Its orbit is tilted by 8 degrees to the plane of the ecliptic and shows an eccentricity of 0.10. It has a provisional rotation period of 10.95 hours and an albedo around 0.055, according to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, IRAS, and the Japanese Akari satellite, as well as based on derived calculations by the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link.
The minor planet was named for Aida, the famous opera in four acts by the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901), after whom the minor planet 3975 Verdi is named.