372 Palma is one of the largest main-belt asteroids. It is a B-type asteroid.

372 Palma
A three-dimensional model of 372 Palma based on its light curve
Discovery
Discovered byAuguste Charlois
Discovery date19 August 1893
Designations
(372) Palma
Pronunciation/ˈpælmə/[1]
Named after
Palma
1893 AH
Main belt
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc122.54 yr (44757 d)
Aphelion3.9693 AU (593.80 Gm)
Perihelion2.33325 AU (349.049 Gm)
3.15125 AU (471.420 Gm)
Eccentricity0.25958
5.59 yr (2043.3 d)
275.769°
0° 10m 34.284s / day
Inclination23.828°
327.37°
115.582°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions173.6±2.8 km[2]
191.12 ± 2.68 km[3]
Mass(5.15 ± 0.64) × 1018 kg[3]
Mean density
1.40 ± 0.18 g/cm3[3]
8.567 h (0.3570 d)[2]
0.0655±0.002[2]
BFC/B[2]
7.5[2]

It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on August 19, 1893, in Nice. It is thought to be named for the capital city of Majorca, an island in the Balearics (Spain), which are located south of France. It is one of seven of Charlois's discoveries that were expressly named by the Astromomisches Rechen-Institut (Astronomical Calculation Institute).[4]

Occultations

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Since 2000, it has been observed 14 times in an asteroid occultation event, a number of which produced multiple chords revealing the asteroid's size and shape. On September 13, 2018, it was revealed to be 120 miles long (193 kilometers long). It is in a fixed orbit around the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.[5]

 
Plot of an occultation of the star HIP 41975 observed on January 26, 2007, by a group of American home-based and mobile citizen astronomers

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Palma Christi". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
    "Palma". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 372 Palma". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, vol. 73, pp. 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009. See Table 1.
  4. ^ Schmadel Lutz D. Dictionary of Minor Planet Names (fifth edition), Springer, 2003. ISBN 3-540-00238-3.
  5. ^ "PDS Asteroid/Dust Subnode". sbn.psi.edu. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
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