1036 Ganymed

Infobox Planet | discovery=yes | physical_characteristics = yes | bgcolour=#FFFFC0
name=1036 Ganymed


caption = Orbit of 1036 Ganymed (blue), planets (red) and the Sun (black). The outermost planet visible is Jupiter.
discoverer=W. Baade
discovered=October 23, 1924
alt_names=1924 TD; 1952 BF; 1954 HH
mp_category=Amor,
Mars-crosser asteroid
epoch=October 22, 2004 (JD 2453300.5)
semimajor=398.198 Gm (2.662 AU)
perihelion=184.434 Gm (1.233 AU)
aphelion=611.961 Gm (4.091 AU)
eccentricity=0.537
period=1586.202 d (4.34 a)
inclination=26.644°
asc_node=215.699°
arg_peri=132.429°
mean_anomaly=152.459°
avg_speed=16.86 km/s
dimensions=31.7 km
mass=3.3e|16 kg
density=2.0 g/cm³
surface_grav=0.0089 m/s²
escape_velocity=0.0168 km/s
rotation=10.31 h [JPL Small Body]
spectral_type=S [http://spiff.rit.edu/richmond/parallax/phot/LCSUMPUB.TXT]
magnitude = 8.1 cite book | author=Donald H. Menzel and Jay M. Pasachoff | year=1983 | title=A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets | edition=2nd edition | publisher=Houghton Mifflin | pages=p. 391 | location=Boston, MA | id=ISBN 0395348358 ]
abs_magnitude=9.45
albedo=0.17 [ [http://earn.dlr.de/nea/001036.htm Database of Near-Earth Asteroids ] ]
single_temperature=~160 K

1036 Ganymed (pronEng|ˈɡænɨmɛd) is the largest Amor asteroid. It was discovered by Walter Baade on October 23, 1924 and is named after Ganymede, the Trojan prince turned god whom Zeus designated the cupbearer to the Greek gods. Jupiter's moon Ganymede is also named after that individual.

Ganymed is about 32 km in diameter and is an S-type asteroid, meaning that it is relatively reflective and composed of iron- and magnesium-silicates. It is also a Mars-crosser asteroid.

In 1998, radar observations of Ganymed by the Arecibo radio telescope produced images of the asteroid, revealing a roughly spherical object.

One occultation of a star by Ganymed was observed from California on August 22, 1985.

References