580 Selene

580 Selene

580 Selene is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. The name Selene is that of an ancient Greek goddess of the Moon.

This body orbits the Sun nearly mid-way between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The orbital eccentricity is slightly lower than that of Mars. Based on its light curve, Selene has an estimated rotation period of 0.3947±0.0004 days, or just under 9.5 hours. [cite web
last = Antonini
first = Pierre
date = 2005-05-16
url = http://obswww.unige.ch/~behrend/page2cou.html#000580
title = Courbes de rotation d'astéroïdes et de comètes
publisher = Observatoire de Genève
language = French
accessdate = 2006-06-12] During each rotation, the apparent magnitude varies by 0.27. The approximate diameter of this asteroid is 46 km. [cite web
date = 2005-01-18
url = http://occsec.wellington.net.nz/planet/2005/updates/050209_580_2964_u.htm
title = Occultation by (580) Selene
publisher = RASNZ Occultation Section
language = English
accessdate = 2006-06-12] (Some sources list a diameter of up to 56 km.) The albedo is about 7%, comparable to that of the Earth's Moon.

References

External links

* [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/NumberedMPs.txt Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets]