129 Antigone

Infobox Planet | discovery=yes | physical_characteristics = yes | bgcolour=#FFFFC0
name=129 Antigone
discoverer=Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters
discovered=February 5, 1873
alt_names=
mp_category=Main belt
epoch=December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
semimajor=429.045 Gm (2.868 AU)
perihelion=337.731 Gm (2.258 AU)
aphelion=520.360 Gm (3.478 AU)
eccentricity=0.213
period=1774.045 d (4.86 a)
inclination=12.218°
asc_node=136.437°
arg_peri=108.207°
mean_anomaly=110.610°
avg_speed=17.39 km/s
dimensions=125.0 km
mass=2.0e|18 kg
density=? g/cm³
surface_grav=0.0349 m/s²
escape_velocity=0.0661 km/s
rotation=? d
spectral_type=M
magnitude = 9.71 (brightest?)
abs_magnitude=7.07
albedo=?
single_temperature=~164 K

129 Antigone is a large main belt asteroid. Radar observations indicate that it is composed of almost pure nickel-iron. It and other similar asteroids probably originate from the core of a shattered Vesta-like planetesimal which had a differentiated interior. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on February 5, 1873 and named after Antigone, the Theban princess in Greek mythology.

In 1979 a possible satellite of Antigone was suggested based on lightcurve data [http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/astro/asteroidmoonsq.html] . A model constructed from these shows Antigone itself to be quite regularly shaped [http://www.astro.helsinki.fi/~kaselain/thirty.pdf] .

Since 1985, a total of three stellar occultations by Antigone have been observed.

External links

* [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=129;orb=1 Orbital simulation] from JPL (Java) / [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=sb&sstr=129 Ephemeris]