(101429) 1998 VF31
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Socorro, New Mexico |
| Discovery date | 1999-11-13 |
| Designations | |
| 101429 | |
| Martian trojan | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 2455000.5 (2009-Jun-18.0) | |
| Aphelion | 1.6772621 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.3712821 AU |
| 1.5242721 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1003692 |
| 687.3725688d 1.88 yr 1.00058445 Martian years | |
| 124.35751° | |
| Inclination | 31.29256° |
| 221.34517° | |
| 310.50813° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
Spectral type | S-type asteroid[2] |
| 17.4 | |
1998 VF31 is a medium sized asteroid which orbits the L5 Lagrange point trailing 60 behind Mars in its orbit. It is in a highly stable orbit around the Martian Lagrange point and was originally thought to be specrtoscopically similar to 5261 Eureka, suggesting they may both be primordial Martian asteroids.[3] Newer specral measurements, however, reveal differeces differences in the spectra with 5261 Eureka, suggesting they may not be related to each other after all.[2]
Spectroscopic observations of 1998 VF31 indicate that it has a large proportion of metal and achondrites on its surface (either with or without a mesosiderite contribution); it could also indicate that the surface regolith has undergone space weathering.[2]
See also
External links
References
- ^ a b (101429) 1998 VF31 at the JPL Small-Body Database
- ^ a b c d Rivkin, Andrew S. (December 2007). "Composition of the L5 Mars Trojans: Neighbors, not Siblings". Icarus. 192 (2): 434–441. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2007.06.026.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Rivkin, Andrew. S. (October 2003). "Spectroscopy and photometry of Mars Trojans". Icarus. 165 (2): 349–354. doi:10.1016/S0019-1035(03)00211-2.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help)