26 Proserpina

26 Proserpina is a main-belt asteroid discovered by German astronomer R. Luther on May 5, 1853. It is named after the Roman goddess Proserpina, the daughter of Ceres and the Queen of the Underworld. Another main-belt asteroid, 399 Persephone, discovered in 1895, is named after her Greek counterpart. Its historical symbol was a star inside a pomegranate; it is in the pipeline for Unicode 17.0 as U+1CECD 𜻍 ().^[7][8]

26 Proserpina

Three-dimensional model of 26 Proserpina created based on light-curve inversions.
Discovery
Discovered by	R. Luther
Discovery date	May 5, 1853
Designations
MPC designation	(26) Proserpina
Pronunciation	/proʊˈsɜːrpɪnə/[1]
Named after	Proserpina
Alternative designations	1935 KK; 1954 WD1
Minor planet category	Main belt
Adjectives	Proserpinian /ˌprɒsərˈpɪniən/[2]
Symbol	(historical)
Orbital characteristics
Epoch June 14, 2006 (JD 2453900.5)
Aphelion	431.898 Gm (2.887 AU)
Perihelion	362.816 Gm (2.425 AU)
Semi-major axis	397.357 Gm (2.656 AU)
Eccentricity	0.087
Orbital period (sidereal)	1581.184 d (4.33 a)
Mean anomaly	115.619°
Inclination	3.562°
Longitude of ascending node	45.884°
Argument of perihelion	193.120°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	94.8 ± 1.7 km (IRAS)[3] 89.63 ± 3.55 km[4]
Mass	(7.48 ± 8.95) × 1017 kg[4]
Mean density	1.98 ± 2.38 g/cm3[4]
Synodic rotation period	13.11 h[3][5]
Geometric albedo	0.1966[3][6]
Spectral type	S[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	7.5[3]

This object is orbiting the Sun with a period of 4.33 years. It has a cross-section size of around 90 km and a stony (S-type) composition. Photometric observations of this asteroid have produced discrepant estimates of the rotation period. A period of 12.13 hours was reported in 1979, followed by 10.6 hours in 1981 and 6.67 hours in 2001. Observations made in 2007 at the Oakley Observatory in Terre Haute, Indiana produced a light curve with a period of 13.06 ± 0.03 hours and a brightness variation of 0.21 ± 0.01 in magnitude.^[9] This was refined by a 2008 study, giving a period of 13.110 ± 0.001 hours.^[10]

References

1. Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
2. E.g. Andrew & Reid (2003) Two Hundred Years of Pushkin
3. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 26 Proserpina" (2011-12-30 last obs). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
4. Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, 73 (1): 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009, S2CID 119226456. See Table 1.
5. "Asteroid lightcurve derived data". Archived from the original on 13 September 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2006.
6. "Asteroid Albedos". Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2006.
7. Bala, Gavin Jared; Miller, Kirk (18 September 2023). "Unicode request for historical asteroid symbols" (PDF). unicode.org. Unicode. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
8. Unicode. "Proposed New Characters: The Pipeline". unicode.org. The Unicode Consortium. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
9. Ditteon, Richard; Hawkins, Scot (September 2007), "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Oakley Observatory - October-November 2006", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 34 (3): 59–64, Bibcode:2007MPBu...34...59D.
10. Pilcher, Frederick (September 2008), "Period Determinations for 26 Proserpina, 34 Circe 74 Galatea, 143 Adria, 272 Antonia, 419 Aurelia, and 557 Violetta", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 35 (3): 135–138, Bibcode:2008MPBu...35..135P.

External links

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