2759 Idomeneus

Orbit and classification

Idomeneus is a dark Jovian asteroid orbiting in the leading Greek camp at Jupiter's Lagrangian point, 60° ahead of the Gas Giant's orbit in a 1:1 resonance . It is also a non-family asteroid in the Jovian background population.

It orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.8–5.5 AU once every 11 years and 10 months (4,313 days; semi-major axis of 5.19 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.07 and an inclination of 22° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at Palomar Observatory in April 1954, or 26 years prior to its official discovery observation at Anderson Mesa.

Physical characteristics

In the SDSS-based taxonomy, Idomeneus is a D-type asteroid. Pan-STARRS' survey has also characterized it as a dark D-type, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link (CALL) assumes it to be a C-type. Its V–I color index of 0.91, however, is typical for most larger D-type Jupiter trojans.

Rotation period

In May 1991, a rotational lightcurve of Idomeneus was obtained from photometric observations by Stefano Mottola using the now decommissioned ESO 1-metre telescope at La Silla Observatory in Chile, with follow-up observation made in June 1992 and in November 2010. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period between 32.38 and 32.4 hours with a brightness amplitude between 0.22 and 0.27 magnitude ().

Suspected binary and slow rotator

In June 2016, observation by Brian Warner at the Palmer Divide Station at the Center for Solar System Studies in California, gave an exceptionally long period hours and an amplitude of magnitude (), which makes it a slow rotator.

The observations also indicated that Idomeneus is a binary asteroid with a minor-planet moon in its orbit. The satellite's orbital period is hours, or alternatively, hours with a brightness variation of 0.14 magnitude. However, the results are tentative and have not been published in any journal as of 2018.

Diameter and albedo

According to the surveys carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Idomeneus measures between 52.55 and 61.01 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.0571 and 0.078. CALL derives an albedo of 0.0521 and a diameter of 60.95 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 9.9.

Naming

This minor planet was named after the Greek hero Idomeneus, who led the Cretan armies to the Trojan War and where he slew many Trojans. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 20 December 1983 (M.P.C. 8404).

Notes

References

References

1. {{dict.com. Idomeneus
   Robert Palfrey Utter, 1918, ''Every-day pronunciation,'' p 127