123 Brunhild Explained

Minorplanet:yes
Background:
  1. D6D6D6
123 Brunhild
Discovered:31 July 1872
Mpc Name:(123) Brunhild
Alt Names:A872 OB
Pronounced:[1]
Epoch:31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Semimajor:2.6971AU
Perihelion:2.37594AU
Aphelion:3.0183abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Eccentricity:0.11907
Period:4.43 yr (1617.9 d)
Inclination:6.4142°
Asc Node:307.834°
Arg Peri:125.960°
Avg Speed:18.08 km/s
Dimensions:48 km
Mass:1.2 kg (assumed)
Surface Grav:0.0134 m/s2
Escape Velocity:0.0254 km/s
Rotation:10.04abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Magnitude:11.77 to 14.88
Abs Magnitude:8.9
Mean Motion: / day
Observation Arc:143.71 yr (52490 days)
Uncertainty:0
Moid:1.39621AU
Jupiter Moid:2.22588AU
Tisserand:3.350

123 Brunhild is a stony S-type main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by German-American astronomer C. H. F. Peters on July 31, 1872, and named after Brünnehilde, a Valkyrie in Norse mythology. Brunhild has been mistaken for the non-existent variable star KN Gem.

In 1983, 123 Brunhild was observed photometrically from the Observatoire de Haute-Provence, producing an irregular light curve that showed eight extremes, including two minima and two maxima that were more accentuated than the others. This curve indicates an irregular shape or possibly areas with higher albedo, with a rotation period of 10.04 ± 0.02 hours and a brightness variation of 0.16 ± 0.01 in magnitude.

Based upon IRAS observations, the estimated diameter of this asteroid is 47.97 ± 2.6 km with a geometric albedo of 0.2134 ± 0.026. A smaller diameter value of 41.33 ± 1.73 km is obtained from the Midcourse Space Experiment observations, with an accordingly higher albedo of 0.2886 ± 0.0247.

Notes and References

  1. Benjamin Smith (1903) The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia