1404 Ajax
| Discovery [1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | K. Reinmuth |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 17 August 1936 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 1404 Ajax |
|
Named after
|
Ajax (Greek mythology)[2] |
| 1936 QW | |
| Jupiter trojan [1][3] | |
| Orbital characteristics [1] | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 79.66 yr (29097 days) |
| Aphelion | 5.9018 AU (882.90 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 4.7052 AU (703.89 Gm) |
| 5.3035 AU (793.39 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.11282 |
| 12.21 yr (4461.06 d) | |
| 198.40° | |
| Inclination | 18.003° |
| 332.97° | |
| 59.947° | |
| Earth MOID | 3.75006 AU (561.001 Gm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.0400381 AU (5.98961 Gm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 81.69 km[4] 96.34±2.25 km[5] 83.99±1.28 km[6] 81.43 km (derived)[3] |
|
Mean radius
|
40.845±1.6 km |
| 29.38 h (1.224 d)[1][7] 28.4 h[8] 34 h[9] |
|
| 0.0665[4] 0.050±0.003[5] 0.048±0.009[6] 0.0508 (derived)[3] 0.0665±0.005[1] |
|
| C [3] | |
| 9.3 | |
1404 Ajax, provisional designation 1936 QW, is a large, carbonaceous Jupiter trojan, about 82 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory on 17 August 1936.[10]
The C-type body belongs to the Greek Camp of Trojan asteroids. It orbits the Sun in the L4 Lagrangian point of the Sun-Jupiter system at a distance of 4.7–5.9 AU once every 12 years and 3 months (4,462 days). It has a rotation period of 29.4 hours[7] and an albedo in the range of 0.05 to 0.07, as measured by the IRAS, Akari, WISE and NEOWISE surveys.[4][5][6]
Jupiter trojans are thought to have been captured into their orbits during or shortly after the early stages of the formation of the Solar System. More than 6,200 Jupiter trojans have already been discovered.[11]
The minor planet is named after the Greek half-god and hero in the Trojan War, Ajax. He is the son of Telamon, who kills himself because the armor of Achilles was awarded to Odysseus (also see 588 Achilles, 1143 Odysseus and 1749 Telamon).[2]
References
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- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
- The Asteroid Orbital Elements Database
- Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Geneve, Raoul Behrend
- Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets
- Orbital simulation from JPL (Java) / Ephemeris
- 1404 Ajax at the JPL Small-Body Database
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