580 Selene is a minor planet orbiting the Sun in the asteroid belt. The name Selene is that of an ancient Greek goddess of the Moon.[3] The name may have been inspired by the asteroid's provisional designation 1905 SE.

580 Selene
Discovery
Discovered byM. F. Wolf
Discovery siteHeidelberg
Discovery date17 December 1905
Designations
(580) Selene
Pronunciation/səˈln/[1]
1905 SE
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc110.29 yr (40283 d)
Aphelion3.4971 AU (523.16 Gm)
Perihelion2.9628 AU (443.23 Gm)
3.2300 AU (483.20 Gm)
Eccentricity0.082713
5.81 yr (2120.3 d)
45.310°
0° 10m 11.244s / day
Inclination3.6614°
99.154°
334.542°
Physical characteristics
22.895±1.6 km
9.47 h (0.395 d)
0.1218±0.019
10.3

This body orbits the Sun nearly midway between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The orbital eccentricity is slightly lower than that of Mars. Based on its light curve, Selene has an estimated rotation period of 0.3947±0.0004 days, or just under 9.5 hours.[4] During each rotation, the apparent magnitude varies by 0.27. The approximate diameter of this asteroid is 46 km.[5] (Some sources list a diameter of up to 56 km.) The albedo is about 7%, comparable to that of the Earth's Moon.

References

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  1. ^ "Selene". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
  2. ^ "580 Selene (1905 SE)". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  3. ^ Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). "(580) Selene". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (580) Selene. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 160. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_581. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.
  4. ^ Antonini, Pierre (16 May 2005). "Courbes de rotation d'astéroïdes et de comètes" (in French). Observatoire de Genève. Archived from the original on 8 July 2006. Retrieved 12 June 2006.
  5. ^ "Occultation by (580) Selene". RASNZ Occultation Section. 18 January 2005. Archived from the original on 21 December 2005. Retrieved 12 June 2006.
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