| Minorplanet | yes |
|---|---|
| Background |
|
| Discoverer | Hans-Emil Schuster |
| Discovered | 6 August 1980 |
| Mpc name | (3908) Nyx |
| Alt names | 1980 PA; |
| Pronounced | /nIks/ |
| Named after | Nyx |
| Adjectives | Nyctian |
| Mp category | Amor; Mars-crosser |
| Epoch | 27 July 2005 (JD 2453578.5) |
| Semimajor | 1.92719 AU (288.304 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 1.04239 AU (155.939 Gm) |
| Aphelion | 2.81198 AU (420.666 Gm) |
| Eccentricity | 0.45911 |
| Period | 2.68 yr (977.20 d) |
| Inclination | 2.17667° |
| Asc node | 261.688° |
| Arg peri | 125.978° |
| Mean anomaly | 99.7699° |
| Rotation | 4.42601 h |
| Abs magnitude | 17.3 |
| Albedo | 0.23 |
| Mean motion | / day |
| Mean radius | 0.5 ± 0.075 km |
| Observation arc | 13021 days (35.65 yr) |
| Uncertainty | 0 |
| Moid | 0.0563399 AU (8.42833 Gm) |
3908 Nyx is an Amor and Mars-crosser asteroid. It was discovered by Hans-Emil Schuster on August 6, 1980, and is named after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night, after which Pluto's moon Nix is also named. It is 1–2 km (0.62–1.24 mi) in diameter and is a V-type asteroid, meaning that it may be a fragment of the asteroid 4 Vesta.
Observations
In 2000, radar observations conducted at the Arecibo and Goldstone observatories produced a model of Nyx's shape; the asteroid can best be described as spherical but with many protruding lumps.
Name
To avoid confusion with 3908 Nyx, Pluto's moon Nix was changed from the initial proposal of the classical spelling Nyx, to Nix.[1]
See also
References
- ^ "Planet and Satellite Names and Discoverers". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS Astrogeology. July 21, 2006. Archived 19 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2006-08-15.