887 Alinda (/əˈlɪndə/) is a very eccentric, near-Earth asteroid with an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.092 AU. It is the namesake for the Alinda group of asteroids and measures about 4 kilometers in diameter. The stony S-type asteroid was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory on 3 January 1918.

887 Alinda
Discovery [1]
Discovered byM. Wolf
Discovery siteHeidelberg Obs.
Discovery date3 January 1918
Designations
(887) Alinda
Pronunciation/əˈlɪndə/
Named after
Alinda (city) or
Aboriginal mythology[2]
1918 DB
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc97.42 yr (35,582 days)
Aphelion3.8846 AU (581.13 Gm)
Perihelion1.0731 AU (160.53 Gm)
2.4788 AU (370.82 Gm)
Eccentricity0.56711
3.90 yr (1425.5 d)
300.87°
0° 15m 9.144s / day
Inclination9.3563°
110.55°
350.34°
Earth MOID0.0907705 AU (13.57907 Gm)
Jupiter MOID1.32066 AU (197.568 Gm)
TJupiter3.221
Physical characteristics
Mean radius
2.1 km
73.97 h (3.082 d)
0.31
13.4

Due to its high eccentricity and semi-major axis of 0.57 and 2.5 AU, respectively, it is a typical Amor III asteroid. It has both, a 1:3 orbital resonance with Jupiter and a close to 4:1 resonance with Earth.[3] As a result of the resonance with Jupiter that has excited the eccentricity of the orbit over the eons, the asteroid's orbit has evolved to spend time outside of the main-belt. It is the namesake for the Alinda group of asteroids.

Alinda makes close approaches to Earth, including a pass in January 2025, where it comes within 0.0821 AU (12,280,000 km; 7,630,000 mi) of Earth.[1]

The asteroid's name had been proposed by H. Kobol. It is uncertain whether it refers to the ancient city of Alinda in modern western Turkey, or to a mythological figure of the Australian aboriginals.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 887 Alinda (1918 DB)" (2015-07-06 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). "(887) Alinda". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (887) Alinda. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 80. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_888. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.
  3. ^ John S Lewis (3 August 2015). "The Alinda Family of Asteroids". Retrieved 26 June 2019.

External links edit