348 May Explained

Minorplanet:yes
Background:
  1. D6D6D6
348 May
Discovered:28 November 1892
Mpc Name:(348) May
Pronounced:in German ˈmaɪ/
Alt Names:1892 R
Epoch:31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Semimajor:2.96944AU
Perihelion:2.76919AU
Aphelion:3.16969abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Eccentricity:0.067437
Period:1869days
Named After:Probably Karl May[1]
Inclination:9.74506°
Asc Node:90.0424°
Arg Peri:13.4397°
Mass:4.76E-10solar mass
Rotation:7.3812abbr=onNaNabbr=on
Abs Magnitude:9.40
Mean Motion: / day
Observation Arc:45056days
Uncertainty:0

348 May is a large Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 28 November 1892 in Nice, and was named for the German author Karl May. This asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of with a period of 1869days and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.067. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 9.7° to the plane of the ecliptic. During its orbit, this asteroid has made close approaches to the dwarf planet Ceres. For example, in September 1984 the two were separated by 0.042order=flipNaNorder=flip.

Analysis of the asteroid light curve generated from photometric data collected during 2007 provided a rotation period of with a brightness variation of in magnitude. This is consistent with an estimate from a 2006 study. It is classified as a G-type asteroid and spans a diameter of approximately 83 km.

Notes and References

  1. Schmadel, L. (2003:44). Dictionary of minor planet names. Germany: Springer.