55576 Amycus /ˈæmɪkəs/ is a centaur discovered on 8 April 2002 by the NEAT at Palomar.[1]

55576 Amycus
Orbital diagram (top view)
Discovery[1]
Discovered byNEAT
Discovery sitePalomar
Discovery date8 April 2002
Designations
(55576) Amycus
Pronunciation/ˈæmɪkəs/[2]
Named after
Amycus
2002 GB10
Centaur[1][3]
AdjectivesAmycian /əˈmɪsiən/
Symbol (astrological)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2
Observation arc7204 days (19.72 yr)
Aphelion35.019 AU (5.2388 Tm) (Q)
Perihelion15.178 AU (2.2706 Tm) (q)
25.098 AU (3.7546 Tm) (a)
Eccentricity0.39526 (e)
125.74 yr (45926.7 d)
37.041° (M)
0° 0m 28.219s / day (n)
Inclination13.352° (i)
315.45° (Ω)
239.17° (ω)
Jupiter MOID9.92261 AU (1.484401 Tm)
TJupiter4.133
Physical characteristics
Dimensions76.3±12.5 km[4][5]
9.76 h (0.407 d)
~ 0.18[4]
~ 20[7]
7.8[1]

The minor planet was named for Amycus, a male centaur in Greek mythology.

It came to perihelion in February 2003.[1] Data from the Spitzer Space Telescope gave a diameter of 76.3±12.5 km.[4][5]

A low probability asteroid occultation of star UCAC2 17967364 with an apparent magnitude of +13.8 was possible on 11 February 2009.[8] Another such event involving a star with an apparent magnitude of +12.9 occurred on 10 April 2014 at about 10:46 Universal Time, visible for observers in the southwest US and western Mexico.[9]

Near 3:4 resonance of Uranus

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Amycus (2002 GB10) lies within 0.009 AU of the 3:4 resonance of Uranus and is estimated to have a long orbital half-life of about 11.1 Myr.[10][11]

 
The failed libration (resonance motion) of Amycus.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 55576 Amycus (2002 GB10)" (2007-08-15 last obs). Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  2. ^ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  3. ^ Marc W. Buie. "Orbit Fit and Astrometric record for 55576" (2003-06-22 using 73 of 81 observations). SwRI (Space Science Department). Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  4. ^ a b c John Stansberry; Will Grundy; Mike Brown; Dale Cruikshank; John Spencer; David Trilling; Jean-Luc Margot (20 February 2007). "Physical Properties of Kuiper Belt and Centaur Objects: Constraints from Spitzer Space Telescope". arXiv:astro-ph/0702538.
  5. ^ a b Wm. Robert Johnston (22 August 2008). "List of Known Trans-Neptunian Objects". Johnston's Archive. Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2009.
  6. ^ a b Hainaut, O. R.; Boehnhardt, H.; Protopapa, S. (October 2012). "Colours of minor bodies in the outer solar system. II. A statistical analysis revisited". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 546: 20. arXiv:1209.1896. Bibcode:2012A&A...546A.115H. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201219566. S2CID 54776793. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  7. ^ "AstDys (55576) Amycus Ephemerides". Department of Mathematics, University of Pisa, Italy. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  8. ^ Steve Preston (8 January 2009). "Star occultation by asteroid 55576 Amycus". IOTA (International Occultation Timing Association). Retrieved 28 December 2009.[dead link]
  9. ^ Hans-J. Bode; Filipe Braga Ribas; B. Sicardy (2013). "Bright Star Occultations by TNOs in 2014. J. Occultation Astronomy 2014-1". IOTA (International Occultation Timing Association). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ^ Horner, J.; Evans, N.W.; Bailey, M. E. (2004). "Simulations of the Population of Centaurs I: The Bulk Statistics". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 354 (3): 798–810. arXiv:astro-ph/0407400. Bibcode:2004MNRAS.354..798H. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.08240.x. S2CID 16002759.
  11. ^ Showalter, Mark R.; Benecchi, Susan D.; Buie, Marc W.; Grundy, William M.; Keane, James T.; Lisse, Carey M.; Olkin, Cathy B.; Porter, Simon B.; Robbins, Stuart J.; Singer, Kelsi N.; Verbiscer, Anne J.; Weaver, Harold A.; Zangari, Amanda M.; Hamilton, Douglas P.; Kaufmann, David E. (2021). "A statistical review of light curves and the prevalence of contact binaries in the Kuiper Belt". Icarus. 356: 114098. arXiv:2105.03543. Bibcode:2021Icar..35614098S. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114098. S2CID 225284888.
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