192 Nausikaa Explained

Minorplanet:yes
Mpc Name:(192) Nausikaa
Background:
  1. D6D6D6
192 Nausikaa
Alt Names:A879 DA; 1933 HH
Adjective:Nausikaan[1]
Semimajor:2.4028AU
Perihelion:1.8121AU
Aphelion:2.9934abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Period:3.72 yr (1360.4 d)
Inclination:6.8137°
Eccentricity:0.24582
Dimensions:
90.18 ± 2.80 km
Density:4.64 ± 1.17 g/cm3
Rotation:13.625abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Magnitude:8.2
Abs Magnitude:7.13
Discoverer:J. Palisa, 1879
Discovered:17 February 1879
Epoch:31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Asc Node:343.25°
Arg Peri:30.067°
Mean Motion: / day
Orbit Ref:[2]
Observation Arc:137.04 yr (50054 d)
Uncertainty:0
Moid:0.814558AU
Jupiter Moid:2.48275AU
Tisserand:3.474

192 Nausikaa is a large main-belt S-type asteroid. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on February 17, 1879, at Pula, then in Austria, now in Croatia. The name derives from Nausicaä, a princess in Homer's Odyssey.

This is an S-type asteroid around 86 km with an elliptical ratio of 1.51. The sidereal rotation period is 13.6217 hours.

Based on the lightcurve data obtained from Nausikaa, a possible satellite was reported in 1985. However, this has not been confirmed. A shape model of Nausikaa has been constructed, also based on the lightcurve data. It indicates a roughly cut, but not very elongated body.[3] In 1998 an occultation of a star by the asteroid was observed from the United States.

In 1988 a search for satellites or dust orbiting this asteroid was performed using the UH88 telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatories, but the effort came up empty.

Nausikaa's orbital period is 3.72 years, its distance from the Sun varying between 1.81 and 2.99 AU. The orbital eccentricity is 0.246. Nausikaa brightened to magnitude 8.3 at a quite favorable opposition on 2 September 2011, when it was 1.875 AU from the Sun and 0.866 AU from the Earth.

Notes and References

  1. Cf. James Joyce's Ulysses: critical essays (1974) Hart & Hayman
  2. Web site: 192 Nausikaa . . . 12 May 2016.
  3. Web site: New worlds in our solar system. 2003-04-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20030419143817/http://www.astro.helsinki.fi/~kaselain/asteroids.html . 2003-04-19 .