588 Achilles

Modelled shape of Achilles from its light curve
Discovery [1]
Discovered by	M. F. Wolf
Discovery site	Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date	22 February 1906
Designations
MPC designation	(588) Achilles
Pronunciation	/əˈkɪliːz/
Named after	Achilles (Greek mythology)[2]
Alternative designations	1906 TG
Minor planet category	Jupiter trojan [1][3] Greek [4] · background [5]
Adjectives	Achillean /ˌækɪˈliːən, əˈkɪliən/[6]
Orbital characteristics [3]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	112.25 yr (41,000 d)
Aphelion	5.9714 AU
Perihelion	4.4467 AU
Semi-major axis	5.2091 AU
Eccentricity	0.1463
Orbital period (sidereal)	11.89 yr (4,343 d)
Mean anomaly	205.11°
Mean motion	0° 4m 58.44s / day
Inclination	10.318°
Longitude of ascending node	316.54°
Argument of perihelion	133.50°
Jupiter MOID	0.5704 AU
TJupiter	2.9460
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	130.10±0.55 km[7] 133.22±3.33 km[8] 135.47±4.1 km[9]
Synodic rotation period	7.306±0.002 h[10][11]
Geometric albedo	0.0328±0.002[9] 0.035±0.002[8] 0.043±0.006[7]
Spectral type	Tholen = DU [3][12] B–V = 0.755[3] U–B = 0.216[3] V–I = 0.940±0.019[12]
Absolute magnitude (H)	8.47[7] 8.67[1][3][8][9]

Achilles (minor planet designation: 588 Achilles) is a large Jupiter trojan asteroid of the Greek camp. Achilles was the first Jupiter trojan to be discovered, and was discovered by Max Wolf at the Heidelberg Observatory in 1906. Wolf named the minor planet after the legendary hero Achilles from Greek mythology.^[1][2] The dark D-type asteroid measures approximately 133 kilometers (83 miles) in diameter which makes it one of the 10 largest Jupiter trojans. It has a rotation period of 7.3 hours and possibly a spherical shape.^[12]

Discovery

Achilles was discovered on 22 February 1906, by the German astronomer Max Wolf at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southern Germany. It was the first discovery of a Jupiter trojan, although (12126) 1999 RM11 had been observed as A904 RD two years previously. This body, however, remained unconfirmed as the observation period was not long enough to calculate an orbit. August Kopff, a colleague of Wolf at Heidelberg, then discovered 617 Patroclus eight months after Achilles, and, in early 1907, he discovered the largest of all Jupiter trojans, 624 Hektor.^[13]

Orbit and classification

Achilles orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.4–6.0 AU in the L₄ Lagrangian point of the Sun–Jupiter System once every 11 years and 11 months (4,343 days; semi-major axis of 5.21 AU). Its orbit shows an eccentricity of 0.15 and an inclination of 10 degrees from the plane of the ecliptic.^[3]

Achilles is the first known example of the stable solution of the three-body problem worked out by French mathematician Joseph Lagrange in 1772, after whom the minor planet 1006 Lagrangea is named. After the discovery of other asteroids with similar orbital characteristics, which were also named after heroes from the Trojan War (see below), the term "Trojan asteroids" or "Jupiter trojans" became commonly used.^[2] In addition, a rule was established that the L₄ point was the "Greek camp", whereas the L₅ point was the "Trojan camp", though not before each camp had acquired a "spy" (Hektor in the Greek camp and Patroclus in the Trojan camp).

Physical characteristics

Naming

This minor planet's name was suggested by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa. It was named after Achilles, the legendary hero from Greek mythology and central figure in Homer's Iliad which tells the accounts of the Trojan War (also see 5700 Homerus and 6604 Ilias). As an infant, Achilles was plunged in the River Styx by his mother Thetis (also see 17 Thetis), thus rendering his body invulnerable excepting the heel by which he was held. He slew Hector (see also 624 Hektor), the greatest Trojan warrior. He was eventually killed by an arrow in the heel by Paris (see 3317 Paris).^[2]

References

External links

• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center
• Asteroid 588 Achilles, at the Small Bodies Data Ferret
• 588 Achilles at AstDyS-2, Asteroids—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Observation prediction · Orbital info · Proper elements · Observational info
• 588 Achilles at the JPL Small-Body Database