215 Oenone Explained

Minorplanet:yes
Background:
  1. D6D6D6
215 Oenone
Discovered:7 April 1880
Mpc Name:(215) Oenone
Pronounced:[1]
Alt Names:A880 GA
Epoch:31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Semimajor:2.76592AU
Perihelion:2.66563AU
Aphelion:2.8662AU
Eccentricity:0.036257
Period:1680.2days
Inclination:1.68583°
Asc Node:25.0036°
Arg Peri:315.903°
Rotation:27.937abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Abs Magnitude:9.4
Mean Motion: / day
Observation Arc:40289days
Uncertainty:0

215 Oenone is a typical main belt asteroid. It was discovered by the Russian astronomer Viktor Knorre on April 7, 1880, in Germany, and was the second of his four asteroid discoveries. The asteroid is named after Oenone, a nymph in Greek mythology.

This body is orbiting the Sun with a period of 1680.2days and a low ellipticity (ovalness) of 0.036. The orbital plane is inclined by 1.7° to the plane of the ecliptic. Light curve data gives a synodic rotation period of, during which it varies in brightness with an amplitude of magnitudes. The cross-section diameter is 36 km. It is classified as an S-type asteroid in the Tholen taxonomy, suggesting a silicaceous (stony) composition.

A search of quasi-complanar asteroids has shown that 215 Oenone and 1851 ≡ 1950 VA can approach to within 4E-06AU of each other, one of the closest known potential proximities of astronomical bodies.

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Notes and References

  1. Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language