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244 Sita

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244 Sita
3D model based on lightcurve data
Discovery
Discovered byJohann Palisa
Discovery date14 October 1884
Designations
(244) Sita
Pronunciation/ˈstə/
Named after
Sita
A884 TA, 1900 UA
1957 KT, 1976 HY
1979 FL3
main-belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc130.93 yr (47824 d)
Aphelion2.47317 AU (369.981 Gm)
Perihelion1.87531 AU (280.542 Gm)
2.17424 AU (325.262 Gm)
Eccentricity0.13749
3.21 yr (1,171.0 d)
46.3767°
0° 18m 26.737s / day
Inclination2.84423°
208.982°
166.029°
Physical characteristics
10.95±0.8 km[1]
11 km [2]
Mass~2×1015 (estimate)
Mean density
~2.7 g/cm3 (estimate)[3]
129.51 h (5.396 d)
0.1941±0.033[1]
0.194 [2]
S[4]
11.9

244 Sita is a background asteroid from the inner region of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) in diameter.[1] It was discovered on 14 October 1884, by an Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa in the Vienna Observatory and was named for the Hindu deity Sita.[5]

This minor planet is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.17 AU with an eccentricity of 0.137 and an orbital period of 3.21 yr. The orbital plane is tilted at an angle of 2.84° to the plane of the ecliptic.[1] It is spinning slowly, completing a rotation about its axis once every 129.056 ± 0.021 h (5.377 ± 0.001 d).[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "244 Sita". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Supplemental IRAS Minor Planet Survey". Archived from the original on 23 June 2006.
  3. ^ G. A. Krasinsky, E. V. Pitjeva, M. V. Vasilyev, E. I. Yagudina (2002). "Hidden Mass in the Asteroid Belt". Icarus. 158 (1): 98–105. Bibcode:2002Icar..158...98K. doi:10.1006/icar.2002.6837.
  4. ^ PDS spectral class data
  5. ^ Schmadel, Lutz (5 August 2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783540002383 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Vander Haagen, Gary A. (April 2010). "Lightcurve and H-G Parameters for Slow Rotator 244 Sita". Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers. 37 (2): 44–45. Bibcode:2010MPBu...37...44V.
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