NationMaster - Encyclopedia: 196 Philomela

**196 Philomela**
Orbital characteristics ^{1 (ftp://ftp.lowell.edu/pub/elgb/astorb.html)}
Orbit type	Main belt
Semimajor axis	3.112 AU
Perihelion distance	3.035 AU
Aphelion distance	3.189 AU
Orbital period	5.49 years
Inclination	7.25�
Eccentricity	0.025
Physical characteristics ^{1 (ftp://ftp.lowell.edu/pub/elgb/astorb.html)}
Diameter	136.3 km
Rotation period ^{3 (http://www.psi.edu/pds/archive/lc.html)}	8.343 hours
Spectral class	S
Abs. magnitude	6.54
Albedo ^{4 (http://dorothy.as.arizona.edu/DSN/IRAS/index_iras.html)}	0.228
History ^{2 (http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/NumberedMPs.html)}
Discoverer	C. H. F. Peters, 1879

196 Philomela is a large and bright main belt asteroid. It is composed of silicate rocks and iron-nickel.

It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on May 14, 1879 and named after Philomela, the woman who became a nightingale in Greek mythology.

There are so far two reported stellar occultations by Philomela.

This astronomy article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=196_Philomela&action=edit).

Categories: Astronomy stubs | Main Belt asteroids

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