232 Russia

Russia (minor planet designation: 232 Russia) is a large Main belt asteroid. It is classified as a C-type asteroid and is probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 31 January 1883 in Vienna and was named after the country of Russia.

232 Russia

Discovery
Discovered by	Johann Palisa
Discovery date	31 January 1883
Designations
MPC designation	(232) Russia
Named after	Russia
Alternative designations	A921 UA, 1929 QA, 1954 SV, 1970 SN1
Minor planet category	Main belt
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	102.35 yr (37382 d)
Aphelion	2.9986 AU (448.58 Gm)
Perihelion	2.1069 AU (315.19 Gm)
Semi-major axis	2.5527 AU (381.88 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.17465
Orbital period	4.08 yr (1489.7 d)
Average orbital speed	18.65 km/s
Mean anomaly	213.685°
Mean motion	0° 14^m 29.976^s / day
Inclination	6.0659°
Longitude of ascending node	152.250°
Argument of perihelion	52.163°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	53.28±1.1 km
Rotation period	21.905 h (0.9127 d)
Geometric albedo	0.0494±0.002
Spectral type	C
Absolute magnitude (H)	10.25

Photometric observations of this asteroid collected during 2007 show a rotation period of 21.8 ± 0.2 hours with a brightness variation of 0.2 ± 0.02 magnitude.[2] A follow up study during 2014 discovered that the rotation period varied depending on the phase angle of observation. The measured rotation varied from 22.016 ± 0.004 hours at a phase angle of 21.5 degrees to 17.0, to 21.904 ± 0.002 hours at phase angles between 5.2 degrees and 9.6 degrees. The reason for this variation has to do with the shape of the asteroid.[3]

References

1. "232 Russia". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
2. Torno, Steven; Lemke Oliver, Robert; Ditteon, Richard (June 2008), "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Oakley Southern Sky Observatory - October 2007", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 35 (2): 54–55, Bibcode:2008MPBu...35...54T.
3. Pilcher, Frederick (April 2013), "Another Asteroid with a Changing Lightcurve: 232 Russia", The Minor Planet Bulletin, 41 (4): 205, Bibcode:2014MPBu...41..205P.

External links

• The Asteroid Orbital Elements Database
• Minor Planet Discovery Circumstances
• 232 Russia at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 232 Russia at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters