171 Ophelia

171 Ophelia is a large, dark Themistian asteroid^[5] that was discovered by French astronomer Alphonse Borrelly on 13 January 1877, and named after Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet.^[6]

171 Ophelia

3D convex shape model of 171 Ophelia
Discovery
Discovered by	A. Borrelly
Discovery date	13 January 1877
Designations
MPC designation	(171) Ophelia
Pronunciation	/oʊˈfiːliə/[1]
Alternative designations	A877 AB
Minor planet category	Main belt (Themis)
Adjectives	Ophelian /ɒˈfiːliən/[2]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	122.15 yr (44615 d)
Aphelion	3.5476 AU (530.71 Gm)
Perihelion	2.7175 AU (406.53 Gm)
Semi-major axis	3.1326 AU (468.63 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.13249
Orbital period (sidereal)	5.54 yr (2025.1 d)
Mean anomaly	11.164°
Mean motion	0° 10m 39.972s / day
Inclination	2.5461°
Longitude of ascending node	100.52°
Argument of perihelion	56.849°
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	130.808±1.483 km[3]
Mass	(1.064 ± 0.535/0.351)×1018 kg[4]
Mean density	1.755 ± 0.883/0.579 g/cm3[4][lower-alpha 1]
Synodic rotation period	6.66535 h (0.277723 d)
Geometric albedo	0.0615±0.004
Spectral type	C
Absolute magnitude (H)	8.31

This asteroid is a member of the Themis family of asteroids that share similar orbital elements.^[7] It probably has a primitive composition, similar to that of the carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.

A 1979 study of the Algol-like light curve produced by this asteroid concluded that it was possible to model the brightness variation by assuming a binary system with a circular orbit, a period of 13.146 hours, and an inclination of 15° to the line of sight from the Earth.^[8] Photometric observations of this asteroid at the Leura Observatory in Leura, Australia during 2006 gave a rotation period of 6.6666 ± 0.0002 hours and a brightness variation of 0.50 ± 0.02 in magnitude. This is in agreement with previous studies.^[9]

Ophelia is also the name of a moon of Uranus.

Notes

1. Assuming a diameter of 105.01 ± 3.54 km.

References

1. Benjamin Smith (1903) The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
2. "Ophelian". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
3. Yeomans, Donald K., "171 Ophelia", JPL Small-Body Database Browser, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, retrieved 6 May 2016.
4. Fienga, A.; Avdellidou, C.; Hanuš, J. (February 2020). "Asteroid masses obtained with INPOP planetary ephemerides". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 492 (1). doi:10.1093/mnras/stz3407.
5. Florczak, M.; et al. (February 1999). "A spectroscopic study of the THEMIS family". Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement. 134 (3): 463–471. Bibcode:1999A&AS..134..463F. doi:10.1051/aas:1999150.
6. Schmadel, Lutz (2003). Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 30. ISBN 9783540002383. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
7. Moore, Patrick; Rees, Robin, eds. (2011), Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy (2nd ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 165, ISBN 9781139495226.
8. Wijesinghe, M. P.; Tedesco, E. F. (December 1979), "A test of plausibility of eclipsing binary asteroids", Icarus, 40 (3): 383–393, Bibcode:1979Icar...40..383W, doi:10.1016/0019-1035(79)90031-9.
9. Oey, Julian (December 2006), "Lightcurves analysis of 10 asteroids from Leura Observatory", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 33 (4): 96–99, Bibcode:2006MPBu...33...96O.

External links

• 171 Ophelia at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 171 Ophelia at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters