2063 Bacchus

Infobox Planet | discovery=yes | physical_characteristics = yes | bgcolour=#FFFFC0 | name=2063 Bacchus
discoverer=Charles T. Kowal
discovered=April 24, 1977
alt_names=1977 HB
mp_category=Apollo asteroid
epoch=July 14, 2004 (JD 2453200.5)
semimajor=161.269 Gm (1.078 AU)
perihelion=104.930 Gm (0.701 AU)
aphelion=217.608 Gm (1.455 AU)
eccentricity=0.349
period=408.825 d (1.12 a)
inclination=9.435°
asc_node=33.187°
arg_peri=55.214°
mean_anomaly=206.604°
avg_speed=27.79 km/s
dimensions=1.1×1.1×2.6 km
mass=3.3×10¹² kg
density=2? g/cm³
surface_grav=0.0004 m/s²
escape_velocity=0.0008 km/s
rotation=0.6208 d (14 h 54 min) [http://www.astrosurf.com/aude-old/map_files/AstVarMAP01-2003.htm ¹]
spectral_type=Q-type asteroid
abs_magnitude=17.1
albedo=0.56
single_temperature=~224 K

The Apollo, Venus- and Mars-crosser asteroid 2063 Bacchus (pronEng|ˈbækəs "bak'-əs") was discovered on April 24, 1977 by Charles T. Kowal at the Palomar Observatory. In March 1996 radar observations of the asteroid were conducted at the Goldstone Observatory under the direction of JPL scientists Steven Ostro and Lance Benner, allowing the construction of a model of the object [Benner, L. A. M., R. S. Hudson, S. J. Ostro, K. D. Rosema, J. D. Giorgini, D. K. Yeomans, R. F. Jurgens, D. L. Mitchell, R. Winkler, R. Rose, M. A. Slade, M. L. Thomas, and P. Pravec. Radar observations of asteroid 2063 Bacchus. Icarus 139, 309-327 (1999)] . Optical observations were conducted by Petr Pravec, Marek Wolf, and Lenka Šarounová during March and April 1996.

The asteroid is about 1.1×1.1×2.6 km in size and has a bilobate shape. It is classified as a Q-type asteroid.

Its name derives from the Roman god Bacchus.

References

External links

* [http://www.space-graphics.com/asteroid_bacchus.htm Scott Hudson's Homepage: 2063 Bacchus]
*
* [http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/ Asteroid Radar Group page]