Lucretia (minor planet designation: 281 Lucretia) is an asteroid belonging to the Flora family in the Main Belt.[4] It was discovered by Austrain astronomer Johann Palisa on 31 October 1888 in Vienna, and is named after the middle name of Caroline Herschel, one of the first female astronomers.[6] Light curves of this asteroid show a synodic rotation period of 4.349±0.001 h with an amplitude of 0.3–0.4 magnitude. The spin axis appears nearly perpendicular to the ecliptic.[4]
![]() A three-dimensional model of 281 Lucretia based on its light curve | |
Discovery | |
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Discovered by | Johann Palisa |
Discovery date | 31 October 1888 |
Designations | |
MPC designation | (281) Lucretia |
Pronunciation | /luːˈkriːʃə/ |
Named after | Caroline Lucretia Herschel |
Alternative designations | A888 UC, 1906 FD 1948 EK, 1984 JX |
Minor planet category | Main belt (Flora family) |
Orbital characteristics [1] | |
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 126.00 yr (46020 d) |
Aphelion | 2.47750 AU (370.629 Gm) |
Perihelion | 1.89821 AU (283.968 Gm) |
Semi-major axis | 2.18786 AU (327.299 Gm) |
Eccentricity | 0.13239 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 3.24 yr (1182.0 d) |
Mean anomaly | 161.880° |
Mean motion | 0° 18m 16.423s / day |
Inclination | 5.30407° |
Longitude of ascending node | 31.4134° |
Argument of perihelion | 16.7540° |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 11.76±0.9 km [1] 12 km [2] |
Mean density | ~2.7 g/cm3[3] |
Synodic rotation period | 0.181 d (4.348 h)[4] |
Geometric albedo | 0.1987±0.035 [1] 0.199 [2] |
Spectral type | S [5] |
Absolute magnitude (H) | 12.02 |
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