163_Erigone
163 Erigone
Main-belt asteroid
163 Erigone is an asteroid from the asteroid belt and the namesake of the Erigone family of asteroids that share similar orbital elements and properties. It was discovered by French astronomer Henri Joseph Perrotin on April 26, 1876, and named after one of the two Erigones in Greek mythology. This asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.37 AU with a period of 3.643 years and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.19. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 4.8° to the plane of the ecliptic.[3]
Photometric measurements taken in 2014 were used to construct a lightcurve that demonstrated a rotation period of 16.136±0.001 h with an amplitude of 0.32±0.02 in magnitude.[5] Erigone is a relatively large and dark asteroid with an estimated size of 73 km.[4] Based upon its spectrum, it is classified as a C-type asteroid,[6] which indicates that it probably has a carbonaceous composition. It is the largest member of the eponymously named Erigone collisional family.[7]