348 May is a large Main belt asteroid.[2] It was discovered by Auguste Charlois on 28 November 1892 in Nice, and was named for the German author Karl May.[4] This asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.97 AU with a period of 5.12 years and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.067. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 9.7° to the plane of the ecliptic.[2] During its orbit, this asteroid has made close approaches to the dwarf planet Ceres. For example, in September 1984 the two were separated by 6.3 Gm (0.042 AU).[5]

348 May
Orbital diagram
Discovery
Discovered byAuguste Charlois
Discovery date28 November 1892
Designations
(348) May
PronunciationGerman: [ˈmaɪ]
Named after
Probably Karl May[1]
1892 R
Main belt
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 31 July 2016 (JD 2457600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc123.36 yr (45,056 d)
Aphelion3.16969 AU (474.179 Gm)
Perihelion2.76919 AU (414.265 Gm)
2.96944 AU (444.222 Gm)
Eccentricity0.067437
5.12 yr (1,869.0 d)
21.8117°
0° 11m 33.418s / day
Inclination9.74506°
90.0424°
13.4397°
Physical characteristics
Dimensions82.82±2.2 km
Mass9.47×1020 kg[3]
Mean density
2.09±0.05 g cm−3[3]
7.3812 h (0.30755 d)
0.0448±0.002
9.40

Analysis of the asteroid light curve generated from photometric data collected during 2007 provided a rotation period of 7.385±0.004 h with a brightness variation of 0.16±0.03 in magnitude. This is consistent with an estimate from a 2006 study.[6] It is classified as a G-type asteroid[5] and spans a diameter of approximately 83 km.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Schmadel, L. (2003:44). Dictionary of minor planet names. Germany: Springer.
  2. ^ a b c d "348 May (1892 R)". JPL Small-Body Database. NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b Baer, James J.; Chesley, S. R. (July 2007), "Astrometric Masses of 21 Asteroids, and an Integrated Asteroid Ephemeris", American Astronomical Society, DDA meeting #38, Bibcode:2007DDA....38.0903B, 9.03.
  4. ^ Schmadel, Lutz (2003), Dictionary of minor planet names, vol. 1, Springer, p. 44, ISBN 9783540002383
  5. ^ a b Sitarski, G.; Todorovic-Juchniewicz, B. (April 1992), "Determination of the Mass of (1) Ceres from Perturbations on (203) Pompeja and (348) May", Acta Astronomica, 42: 139–144, Bibcode:1992AcA....42..139S.
  6. ^ Sauppe, Jason; et al. (December 2007), "Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Oakley Observatory - March/April 2007", Bulletin of the Minor Planets Section of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, 34 (4): 119–122, Bibcode:2007MPBu...34..119S.
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