- 1981 Midas
Infobox Planet | discovery=yes | physical_characteristics = yes | bgcolour=#FFFFC0
name = 1981 Midas
discoverer=Charles T. Kowal
discovered=March 6 ,1973
alt_names=1973 EA
mp_category=Apollo
Venus crosser
Mars crosser
epoch =December 1 ,2005 (JD 2453705.5)
semimajor = 1.776 AU
perihelion = 0.621 AU
aphelion = 2.931 AU
eccentricity = 0.650
period = 864.541 d
inclination = 39.838°
asc_node = 357.037°
arg_peri = 267.739°
mean_anomaly = 267.903°
avg_speed =19.757 km/s
dimensions = 3.4 km
mass =
density =
surface_grav =
escape_velocity =
rotation =5.22 h
spectral_type =
magnitude = 11.8 (brightest)
abs_magnitude =15.5
albedo =
single_temperature =Theasteroid 1981 Midas was discovered onMarch 6 ,1973 byCharles T. Kowal atPalomar Observatory . It is named afterMidas , the king ofPhrygia inGreek mythology who turned objects togold when he touched them. Midas is anApollo asteroid , a Venus andMars-crosser asteroid with anorbital period of 2 years, 134 days.Its last close approach to Earth was in March 1992, passing at 19.9 Gm. The next close approach will be in March of 2018 coming within a distance of 13.4 Gm and shining at an
apparent magnitude of +12.3.References
* [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/02800/02816.html#Item2 IAUCs 2816] , [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/02800/02890.html#Item3 2890] , [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/02900/02979.html#Item2 2979] , [http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iauc/02900/02991.html#Item4 2991]
* [http://unicorn.eis.uva.es/cgi-bin/neodys/neoibo?objects:Midas;main NeoDys] includes Close Approaches (from 1950 to 2100)
* [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=1981;orb=1 Orbital simulation] from JPL (Java) / [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=sb&sstr=1981 Ephemeris]
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