250 Bettina is a large main belt asteroid that was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on September 3, 1885, in Vienna. It was named in honour of Baroness Bettina von Rothschild (née de Rothschild; 1858–1892), wife of Baron Albert von Rothschild who had bought the naming rights for £50.[5] Based upon the spectrum, it is classified as an M-type asteroid.

250 Bettina
A three-dimensional model of 250 Bettina based on its light curve.
Discovery
Discovered byJohann Palisa
Discovery date3 September 1885
Designations
(250) Bettina
PronunciationGerman: [bɛˈtiːnaː][1]
A885 RA
Main belt
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc130.62 yr (47710 d)
Aphelion3.5657 AU (533.42 Gm)
Perihelion2.7325 AU (408.78 Gm)
3.14906 AU (471.093 Gm)
Eccentricity0.13229
5.59 yr (2041.1 d)
16.78 km/s
56.902°
0° 10m 34.932s / day
Inclination12.819°
23.862°
76.692°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions120.995±2.212 km[2]
Mass(2.389 ± 1.157/0.547)×1018 kg[3]
Mean density
3.524 ± 1.707/0.806 g/cm3[3][a]
5.0545 h (0.21060 d)[2]
5.055 h[4]
0.112±0.019[2]
M
7.72[2]

In 1988, the asteroid was observed from the Collurania-Teramo Observatory, allowing a light curve to be produced that showed "an irregular behavior with a deeper minimum and a narrower maximum". The data showed a rotation period of 5.055 hours and a brightness variation of 0.17 ± 0.01 in magnitude. The ratio of the lengths of the major to minor axes for this asteroid were found to be 1.51 ± 0.03.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ Assuming a diameter of 109 ± 5 km.

References

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  1. ^ (German Names)
  2. ^ a b c d e Yeomans, Donald K., "250 Bettina", JPL Small-Body Database Browser, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, retrieved 12 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b Fienga, A.; Avdellidou, C.; Hanuš, J. (February 2020). "Asteroid masses obtained with INPOP planetary ephemerides". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 492 (1). doi:10.1093/mnras/stz3407.
  4. ^ a b Dotto, E.; et al. (June 1992), "M-type asteroids – Rotational properties of 16 objects", Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, vol. 95, no. 2, pp. 195–211, Bibcode:1992A&AS...95..195D.
  5. ^ Observatory, vol. 8, p. 63, 1885 & vol. 9, p. 142, 1886; see also The Guinness Book of Astronomy Facts and Feats Patrick Moore page 96 ISBN 0-900424-76-1
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