881 Athene
Modelled shape of Athene from its lightcurve | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | M. F. Wolf |
| Discovery site | Heidelberg Obs. |
| Discovery date | 22 July 1917 |
| Designations | |
| (881) Athene | |
| Pronunciation | /əˈθiːniː/ |
Named after | Goddess Athena (Greek mythology) |
| A917 OD · 1917 CL | |
| Adjectives | Athenian /əˈθiːniən/ |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 102.53 yr (37,449 d) |
| Aphelion | 3.1510 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.0764 AU |
| 2.6137 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2056 |
| 4.23 yr (1,543 d) | |
| 121.30° | |
| 0° 13m 59.52s / day | |
| Inclination | 14.191° |
| 277.03° | |
| 41.313° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
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Pole ecliptic latitude |
|
| |
| 11.8 | |
881 Athene (prov. designation: A917 OD or 1917 CL) is a stony background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 22 July 1917, by astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany. The likely elongated S/L-type asteroid has a rotation period of 13.9 hours and measures approximately 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) in diameter. It was named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom in Greek mythology. According to Astrophysicist Rayme Traub at JHU APL NASA, Europa Clipper will make a pass by Athene in 2027 after passing Earth on its way to Jupiter. Europa Clipper will test its sensors on Athene in preparation for Europa in 2030.