34 Circe is a large, very dark main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by French astronomer J. Chacornac on April 6, 1855, and named after Circe, the bewitching queen of Aeaea island in Greek mythology.

34 Circe
A three-dimensional model of 34 Circe based on its light curve
Discovery
Discovered byJ. Chacornac
Discovery dateApril 6, 1855
Designations
Designation
(34) Circe
Pronunciation/ˈsɜːrs/[1]
Named after
Circe
1965 JL
Main belt
AdjectivesCircean /sərˈsən/[2]
Orbital characteristics[3]
Epoch November 4, 2013 (JD 2456600.5)
Aphelion2.967739 AU
Perihelion2.406230 AU
2.686984 AU
Eccentricity0.1045
4.40 a (1607.332 d)
18.12 km/s
39.80474°
Inclination5.498°
184.44157°
330.2330°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions113.02 ± 4.90 km[4]
Mass(3.66 ± 0.03) × 1018 kg[4]
Mean density
4.83 ± 0.63 g/cm3[4]
~0.0317 m/s²
~0.0600 km/s
0.5063 d (12.15 h) [3]
Albedo0.0541 [3]
Temperature~172 K
Spectral type
C
8.51

The spectrum of this object matches a C-type asteroid, suggesting a carbonaceous composition. It has a cross-section size of 113 km and is orbiting the Sun with a period of 4.40 years. Photometric observations of this asteroid made during 2007 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico gave an asymmetrical bimodal light curve with a period of 12.176 ± 0.002 hours and a brightness variation of 0.17 ± 0.02 in magnitude.[5] The spectra of the asteroid displays evidence of aqueous alteration.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Circe". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Circean". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  3. ^ a b c Yeomans, Donald K., "34 Circe", JPL Small-Body Database Browser, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, retrieved 21 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, 73 (1): 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009, S2CID 119226456. See Table 1.
  5. ^ Pilcher, Frederick (September 2008), "Period Determinations for 26 Proserpina, 34 Circe 74 Galatea, 143 Adria, 272 Antonia, 419 Aurelia, and 557 Violetta", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 35 (3): 135–138, Bibcode:2008MPBu...35..135P.
  6. ^ Fornasier, S.; et al. (February 1999), "Spectroscopic comparison of aqueous altered asteroids with CM2 carbonaceous chondrite meteorites", Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement, 135: 65−73, Bibcode:1999A&AS..135...65F, doi:10.1051/aas:1999161.
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