887 Alinda (/əˈlɪndə/) is a very eccentric, near-Earth asteroid with an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.092 AU. It is the namesake for the Alinda group of asteroids and measures about 4 kilometers in diameter. The stony S-type asteroid was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf at Heidelberg Observatory on 3 January 1918.
Due to its high eccentricity and semi-major axis of 0.57 and 2.5 AU, respectively, it is a typical Amor III asteroid. It has both, a 1:3 orbital resonance with Jupiter and a close to 4:1 resonance with Earth.[3] As a result of the resonance with Jupiter that has excited the eccentricity of the orbit over the eons, the asteroid's orbit has evolved to spend time outside of the main-belt. It is the namesake for the Alinda group of asteroids.
Alinda makes close approaches to Earth, including a pass in January 2025, where it comes within 0.0821 AU (12,280,000 km; 7,630,000 mi) of Earth.[1]
The asteroid's name had been proposed by H. Kobol. It is uncertain whether it refers to the ancient city of Alinda in modern western Turkey, or to a mythological figure of the Aboriginal Australians.[2]
References
- ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 887 Alinda (1918 DB)" (2015-07-06 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 13 December 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ a b Schmadel, Lutz D. (2003). "(887) Alinda". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (887) Alinda. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 80. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_888. ISBN 978-3-540-29925-7.
- ^ John S Lewis (3 August 2015). "The Alinda Family of Asteroids". Retrieved 26 June 2019.
External links
- 887 Alinda at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 887 Alinda at ESA–space situational awareness
- 887 Alinda at the JPL Small-Body Database
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