246 Asporina

246 Asporina
	3D model based on lightcurve data
Discovery
Discovered by	A. Borrelly
Discovery date	6 March 1885
Designations
MPC designation	(246) Asporina
Named after	Asporina
Alternative designations	A885 EA
Minor planet category	Main belt
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	130.96 yr (47834 d)
Aphelion	2.98941 AU (447.209 Gm)
Perihelion	2.39768 AU (358.688 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.69355 AU (402.949 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.10984
Orbital period (sidereal)	4.42 yr (1614.7 d)
Average orbital speed	18.14 km/s
Mean anomaly	172.414°
Mean motion	0° 13m 22.638s / day
Inclination	15.6259°
Longitude of ascending node	162.347°
Argument of perihelion	96.6218°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	60.10±4.2 km
Synodic rotation period	16.222 h (0.6759 d)
Geometric albedo	0.1744±0.027
Spectral type	R
Absolute magnitude (H)	8.62

246 Asporina is a sizeable main-belt asteroid. It is classified as one of the few A-type asteroids.

It was discovered by A. Borrelly on 6 March 1885 in Marseilles and was named after Asporina, a goddess worshipped on Mount Asporenus, Asia Minor.^[2]

The spectrum of 246 Asporina reveals the strong presence of the mineral olivine, a relative rarity in the asteroid belt.^[3]

References

^ "246 Asporina". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
^ Schmadel, Lutz (5 August 2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783540002383 – via Google Books.
^ Burbine, T. H.; et al. (July 2000), "The Nature of Olivine Asteroids", Meteoritics & Planetary Science, vol. 35, pp. A35, Bibcode:2000M&PSA..35R..35B, doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.2000.tb01796.x.