Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | S. Arend |
Discovery site | Uccle Obs. |
Discovery date | 1 September 1953 |
Designations | |
(1916) Boreas | |
Pronunciation | /ˈbɔːriəs/ [2] |
Named after | Boreas ( Greek mythology) [3] |
1953 RA | |
NEO · Amor [1] [4] | |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 4 September 2017 ( JD 2458000.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 63.73 yr (23,279 days) |
Aphelion | 3.2944 AU |
Perihelion | 1.2506 AU |
2.2725 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.4497 |
3.43 yr (1,251 days) | |
252.13 ° | |
0° 17m 15.72s / day | |
Inclination | 12.884° |
340.64° | |
335.83° | |
Earth MOID | 0.2520 AU · 98.2 LD |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 3.07 km (calculated)
[5] 3.5 km [1] |
3.4741±0.0003
h
[6]
[a] 3.4746 h [7] 3.4746±0.0010 h [a] 3.4748±0.0010 h [a] 3.49±0.01 h [8] | |
0.15 (assumed)
[1] 0.20 (assumed) [5] | |
S (
Tholen),
S (
SMASS) S [9] · Sw [5] [10] [11] B–V = 0.852 U–B = 0.407 | |
14.86±0.112 [5] [12] · 14.93 [1] [11] | |
1916 Boreas, provisional designation 1953 RA, is an eccentric, stony asteroid and near-Earth object of the Amor group, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. After its discovery in 1953, it became a lost asteroid until 1974. It was named after Boreas from Greek mythology.
Boreas was discovered on 1 September 1953, by Belgian astronomer Sylvain Arend at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle. [4] The asteroid was observed for 2 months and then with time became a lost asteroid. It was recovered in 1974, by Richard Eugene McCrosky, G. Schwartz and JH Bulger based on a predicted position by Brian G. Marsden. [b] [13]
Boreas orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.3–3.3 AU once every 3 years and 5 months (1,251 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.45 and an inclination of 13 ° with respect to the ecliptic. [1]
The near-Earth asteroid has an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance of 0.2520 AU (37,700,000 km), [1] which corresponds to 98.2 lunar distances. Its observation arc begins with it official discovery observation at Uccle in 1953. [4]
On the Tholen and SMASS taxonomic scheme, Boreas is classified as a common S-type asteroid with a stony composition. [1] It has also been characterized as a Sw-subtype. [5] [10] [11]
Several rotational lightcurves gave a rotation period between 3.4741 and 3.49 hours with a brightness variation between 0.25 and 0.35 magnitude ( U=2/2/3/n.a.). [6] [7] [8] [a]
In 1994, astronomer Tom Gehrels estimated Boreas to measure 3.5 kilometers in diameter, based on an assumed albedo of 0.15. [1] The Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 3.07 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 14.93. [5]
This minor planet is named after the Greek god of the north wind, Boreas, as the asteroid was discovered moving rapidly northward after passing the ascending node of its orbit. [3] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 8 April 1982 ( M.P.C. 6833). [14]