Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Eunomia family
The Eunomia family is a group of several hundred asteroids that share similar orbital and spectral properties. It is believed to be a result of the collision and breakdown of a larger parent body. The group is named after its largest and first-found member, 15 Eunomia.
Eunomia asteroids are S-type asteroids, so they are quite bright in color and their composition is likely a mixture of nickel-iron with silicates similar to 243 Ida or 951 Gaspra. A few C-type or other asteroids lie within the group, but they are most likely interlopers and not related to other Eunomia asteroids.
The Eunomia family is located between 3:1 and 8:3 resonances with Jupiter.
Orbital elements for the Eunomia family:
- orbital distance: 2.5 < a < 2.75 AU
- eccentricity: 0.1 < e < 0.2
- inclination: 13° < i < 20°
10-26-2009 08:16:03
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The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details