126 Velleda is a main-belt asteroid. It is probably a rather typical, albeit sizable, S-type asteroid. Named for Veleda, a priestess and prophet of the Germanic tribe of the Bructeri. It was discovered by Paul Henry on November 5, 1872, in Paris, France. It was his first credited discovery. He and his brother Prosper Henry discovered a total of 14 asteroids.

126 Velleda
Discovery
Discovered byPaul Henry and Prosper Henry
Discovery dateNovember 5, 1872
Designations
(126) Velleda
Pronunciation/ˈvɛlɪdə/[1]
Named after
Veleda
A872 VA; 1949 YF;
1950 BD1
Main belt
Orbital characteristics
Epoch December 31, 2006 (JD 2454100.5)
Aphelion403.523 Gm (2.697 AU)
Perihelion326.153 Gm (2.180 AU)
364.816 Gm (2.439 AU)[2]
Eccentricity0.1060806[2]
1,391.107 days (3.81 yr)
117.027°
Inclination2.92451°[2]
23.47325°[2]
327.94065°[2]
Physical characteristics
44.79±1.33 km[3]
Mass(0.47±5.79)×1018 kg[3]
Equatorial surface gravity
0.0125 m/s2
Equatorial escape velocity
0.0237 km/s
5.364±0.003 h[4]
0.1723[2]
S
9.27[2]

This body is orbiting the Sun with a period of 3.81 years and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.11. The orbital plane is inclined by 2.9° to the plane of the ecliptic.[2] It has a cross-section diameter of ~45 km.[3] This asteroid rotates once every 5.36 hours. During each rotation the brightness varies by 0.22 magnitudes.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Noah Webster (1884) A Practical Dictionary of the English Language
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "126 Velleda". JPL Small-Body Database Browser. NASA JPL. 29 August 2003. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Carry, B. (December 2012), "Density of asteroids", Planetary and Space Science, vol. 73, pp. 98–118, arXiv:1203.4336, Bibcode:2012P&SS...73...98C, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2012.03.009. See Table 1.
  4. ^ a b Dovgopol, A. N.; Kruglyi, Iu. N.; Shevchenko, V. G. (1992). "Asteroid 126 Velleda - Rotation period and magnitude-phase curve". Acta Astronomica. 42 (1): 67–72. Bibcode:1992AcA....42...67D.
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