 Lightcurve-base 3D-model of 279 Thule. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Johann Palisa |
| Discovery date | 25 October 1888 |
| Designations | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈθjuːliː/1 |
| A888 UA, 1920 GA 1923 RA, 1927 EC 1954 FF2 | |
| Asteroid belt (Thule) | |
| Adjectives | Thulean /ˈθjuːliən/3 |
| Orbital characteristics2 | |
| Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 125.34 yr (45780 d) |
| Aphelion | 4.4617880 AU (667.47398 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 4.2367660 AU (633.81117 Gm) |
| 4.3492770 AU (650.64258 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.025869 |
| 9.07 yr (3313.0 d) | |
| 62.75874° | |
| 0° 6m 31.184s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.323774° |
| 72.46791° | |
| 42.36797° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 115±12 km4 119±13 km4 |
| 23.896 h (0.9957 d)2 | |
| 0.0412±0.0032 | |
| Temperature | 133 K |
| B−V=0.752 U−B=0.322 D (Tholen)2 X (SMASSII)2 | |
| 8.572 | |
279 Thule is a large asteroid from the outer asteroid belt. It was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on 25 October 1888 in Vienna. This body was named after the ultimate northern land of Thule, according to ancient Greek and Roman lore.
This asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.35 au (651 Gm), with an eccentricity of 0.026 and an orbital period of 9.07 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 2.32° to the plane of the ecliptic.2 Thule was the first asteroid discovered with a semi-major axis greater than 4 AU. It is the only large asteroid with a 4:3 resonance orbital with Jupiter that also has a small eccentricity and orbital inclination.5
279 Thule is classified as a D-type asteroid and is probably composed of organic-rich silicates, carbon and anhydrous silicates. Based on infrared measurements, it spans a diameter of approximately 115 km.4
Thule asteroids
Thule was the first discovered member of the Thule dynamical group, which as of 2008 was known to consist of three objects: 279 Thule, (186024) 2001 QG207, and (185290) 2006 UB219.6 The orbits of these bodies are unusual. They orbit in the outermost edge of the asteroid belt in a 4:3 orbital resonance with Jupiter, the result of the periodic force Jupiter exerts on a body with Thule's orbital period, in the same way (though with the reverse effect) as the Kirkwood gaps in the more inner parts of the asteroid belt.
| Name | semimajor axis (au) | period (years) | eccentricity | inclination (°) | absolute magnitude | Size (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 279 Thule | 4.269 | 8.82 | 0.0432 | 2.334 | 8.53 | 126.59±3.7 |
| (185290) 2006 UB219 | 4.290 | 8.89 | 0.1335 | 7.132 | 13.84 | 4.1–10.1 |
| (186024) 2001 QG207 | 4.278 | 8.85 | 0.2513 | 3.238 | 14.53 | 3.0–7.4 |
| (570461) 2006 SJ42 | 4.286 | 8.87 | 0.0465 | 5.501 | 15.1 | 2.3–5.7 |
| (684250) 2008 RE93 | 4.288 | 8.88 | 0.1161 | 3.497 | 15.49 | 1.9–4.7 |
| (654117) 2014 WN504 | 4.297 | 8.91 | 0.2312 | 3.193 | 15.5 | 1.9–4.7 |
| 2014 QX231 | 4.283 | 8.86 | 0.3722 | 5.935 | 16.5 | 1.2–3.0 |
References
References
- "Thule". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- "279 Thule". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
- "Thulean". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- Choukroun, A.; Marciniak, A.; Ďurech, J.; Perła, J.; Ogłoza, W.; Szakats, R.; Molnar, L.; Pal, A.; Monteiro, F. (2025). "Asteroid sizes determined with thermophysical model and stellar occultations". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 698: A298. arXiv:2505.09437. Bibcode:2025A&A...698A.298C. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202554476.
- Pilcher, Frederick (July 2015). "New Photometric Observations of 128 Nemisis, 249 Ilse, and 279 Thule". Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers. 42 (3): 190–192. Bibcode:2015MPBu...42..190P.
- Brož, M.; Vokrouhlický, D. (2008). "Asteroid families in the first-order resonances with Jupiter". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 390 (2): 715–732. arXiv:1104.4004. Bibcode:2008MNRAS.390..715B. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13764.x. S2CID 53965791.
- Walker, Andrew J. (11 January 2020). "Thule MP group, 2 more candidates?". Minor Planet Mailing List. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
External links
External links
- 279 Thule at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
- 279 Thule at the JPL Small-Body Database