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279 Thule

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279 Thule
Orbital diagram
Discovery
Discovered byJohann Palisa
Discovery date25 October 1888
Designations
(279) Thule
Pronunciation/ˈθjl/[1]
A888 UA, 1920 GA
1923 RA, 1927 EC
1954 FF[2]
Asteroid belt (Thule)
AdjectivesThulean /ˈθjliən/[3]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc125.34 yr (45780 d)
Aphelion4.4617880 AU (667.47398 Gm)
Perihelion4.2367660 AU (633.81117 Gm)
4.3492770 AU (650.64258 Gm)
Eccentricity0.025869
9.07 yr (3313.0 d)
62.75874°
0° 6m 31.184s / day
Inclination2.323774°
72.46791°
42.36797°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions126.59±3.7 km (IRAS)[2]
23.896 h (0.9957 d)[2]
0.0412±0.003[2]
Temperature133 K
B−V=0.75[2]
U−B=0.32[2]
D (Tholen)[2]
X (SMASSII)[2]
8.57[2]

279 Thule is a large asteroid from the outer asteroid belt. It is classified as a D-type asteroid and is probably composed of organic-rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous silicates. Thule was the first asteroid discovered with a semi-major axis greater than 4 AU. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 25 October 1888 in Vienna and was named after the ultimate northern land of Thule.

Thule asteroids

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Thule was the first discovered member of the Thule dynamical group, which as of 2008 is known to consist of three objects: 279 Thule, (186024) 2001 QG207, and (185290) 2006 UB219.[4] The orbits of these bodies are unusual. They orbit in the outermost edge of the asteroid belt in a 4:3 orbital resonance with Jupiter, the result of the periodic force Jupiter exerts on a body with Thule's orbital period, in the same way (though with the reverse effect) as the Kirkwood gaps in the more inner parts of the asteroid belt.

Known members as of May 2021
Name semimajor axis (au) period (years) eccentricity inclination (°) absolute magnitude Size (km)
279 Thule 4.269 8.82 0.0432 2.334 8.53 126.59±3.7
(185290) 2006 UB219 4.290 8.89 0.1335 7.132 13.84 4.1–10.1
(186024) 2001 QG207 4.278 8.85 0.2513 3.238 14.53 3.0–7.4
2006 SJ42 4.286 8.87 0.0465 5.501 15.1 2.3–5.7
2008 RE93 4.288 8.88 0.1161 3.497 15.49 1.9–4.7
2014 WN504 4.297 8.91 0.2312 3.193 15.5 1.9–4.7
2014 QX231 4.283 8.86 0.3722 5.935 16.5 1.2–3.0

References

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  1. ^ "Thule". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "279 Thule". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Thulean". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  4. ^ Brož, M.; Vokrouhlický, D. (2008). "Asteroid families in the first-order resonances with Jupiter". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 390 (2): 715–732. arXiv:1104.4004. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.390..715B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13764.x. S2CID 53965791.
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