Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
22 Kalliope
| Orbital characteristics 1 | |
|---|---|
| Orbit type | Main belt |
| Semimajor axis | 2.908 AU |
| Perihelion distance | 2.608 AU |
| Aphelion distance | 3.207 AU |
| Orbital period | 4.96 years |
| Inclination | 13.71° |
| Eccentricity | 0.103 |
| Physical characteristics 1 | |
| Diameter | 181 km |
| Mass 4 | 7.36 × 1018 kg |
| Density 4 | 2.37 g/cm³ |
| Rotation period 3 | 4.148 hours |
| Spectral class | M |
| Abs. magnitude | 6.45 |
| Albedo 5 | 0.142 |
| History 2 | |
| Discoverer | J. R. Hind, 1852 |
| Satellites | |
| Name | Linus |
22 Kalliope (ka-lye'-a-pee) is a very large Main belt asteroid discovered by J. R. Hind on November 16, 1852. It is named after Calliope, the Greek Muse of epic poetry.
Kalliope is 181 km in diameter, and is a M-type asteroid, indicating fairly pure nickel-iron composition. However, recent measurements show that 22 Kalliope's density is only 2.37 g/cm³, so it must contain considerable amount of other materials.
In 2001, two independant groups of astronomers, one at the Keck telescope and the other at Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, discovered simultaneously a small moon orbiting Kalliope. It has been named Linus after the mythological figure. Linus is about 38 km in diameter and orbits about 1,000 km from Kalliope. It may be impact ejecta from a collision with Kalliope or a fragment captured after disruption of a parent asteroid (a proto-Kalliope).
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