54 Alexandra

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54 Alexandra is a carbonaceous asteroid from the intermediate asteroid belt, approximately 155 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German-French astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt on 10 September 1858, and named after the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt; it was the first asteroid to be named after a male.[1]

Description

On May 17, 2005, this asteroid occulted a faint star (magnitude 8.5) and the event was observed and timed in a number of locations within the U.S. and Mexico. As a result, a silhouette profile was produced, yielding a roughly oval cross-section with dimensions of 160 × 135 km (± 1 km).[2] The mass of the asteroid can be estimated based upon the mutually perturbing effects of other bodies, yielding an estimate of Script error: No such module "val"..[3]

Photometric observations of this asteroid during 1990–92 gave a light curve with a period of 18.14 ± 0.04 hours and a brightness variation of 0.10 in magnitude.[4] Alexandra has been studied by radar.[5] It was the namesake and largest member of the former Alexandra asteroid family; a dynamic group of C-type asteroids that share similar orbital elements. Other members included 70 Panopaea and 145 Adeona.[6] 145 Adeona was subsequently assigned to the Adeona family, with Alexandra and Panopaea being dropped.[7]

In popular culture

In the Swedish film Aniara, it is mentioned that 54 Alexandra is the closest celestial body which the off-course and out-of-control spacecraft will approach before it leaves the Solar System.

References

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  2. D.W. Dunham, "Upcoming Asteroid Occultations", Sky & Telescope, June, 2006, p. 63.
  3. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". See Table 1.
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  7. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". See p. 2045 and family 44.

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External links

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