Minorplanet: | yes |
Background: |
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68 Leto | |
Discovered: | 29 April 1861 |
Mpc Name: | (68) Leto |
Pronounced: | [1] |
Adjective: | Letoian [2] [3] |
Named After: | Λητώ Lētō |
Epoch: | 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) |
Eccentricity: | 0.18712 |
Inclination: | 7.97189° |
Asc Node: | 44.1270° |
Arg Peri: | 304.826° |
Dimensions: | |
Rotation: | 14.848abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
Magnitude: | 9.56 |
Abs Magnitude: | 6.78 |
Albedo: | 0.228[4] |
Mean Motion: | / day |
Orbit Ref: | [5] |
Observation Arc: | 152.08 yr (55548 d) |
Uncertainty: | 0 |
68 Leto is a large main belt asteroid that is orbiting the Sun. The asteroid was discovered by German astronomer Robert Luther on April 29, 1861, and is named after Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis in Greek mythology. It orbits at a distance of 2.78112 AU over 4.64 years and has an orbital eccentricity of 0.187. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 7.97° to the ecliptic.[5]
Photometric observations of 68 Leto during 1997 provided a rotation period of . It has an estimated cross-sectional size of 123 km. The spectral type is S, suggesting a stony, silicate composition.